Listen to My Story
by 13AnimePrincess13
Summary: Sakura Haruno is the new girl in Konoha! She's a bit different than the Sakura we know her as, though. She's wearing an eyepatch, and carrying around a dark secret with it. What happened to change her so much half a year ago? SasukexSakuraxNaruto
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Alright! Here's the beginning of my new story, Listen to My Story! It's a Sakura centric, and the main triangle is SasukexSakuraxNaruto. Sakura's the new girl in Konoha! But for some reason, her appearance is very dark! What secrets is she carrying? Find out! XD

Listen to My Story

Chapter 1: The New Girl Looks Weird!

Sakura's POV

My mom's SUV stopped in front of the plain white house that we'd spent so much time moving our junk into. My new home, according to her. I got out and stretched; we'd been stuffed into her car for over nine hours.

By the time she'd gotten out of her 'lovely' car, I'd walked up to the front door, unlocked it, and had gone straight to my room.

Mom had let me decorate it however I wanted. 'Give it some personality!' or something like that. I'd gotten black lace curtains to cover the window forever; I didn't normally like the sun that much. And the rare times I _did_, I could just peak out of the curtains and realize I still hated it, couldn't I?

Speaking of that over-cheerful ball of light, it was sunset. If you'd asked me my opinion on sunsets half a year ago, I probably would have told you that they were wonderful, pretty, etc. Now, I'd say that they were a waste of time to watch.

Six months ago, if you'd looked through all of my clothes *cough-pervert-cough*, you'd find happy, average colors. These days, the only colors you're going to find are black, purple, red, blue, white, and dark green.

A lot can change in six months. I knew that better than anyone else.

For the rest of the day, I read. I like reading. I liked slipping into the lives of other people, forgetting my own for short, bliss amount of time.

As I was turning the page, I saw something moving out of the corner of my left eye. I whipped around to see what it was. And I was facing my reflection. Myself.

I guess that it's safe to say I'm the kind of person who attracts attention without trying.

For starters, my hair is pink. _Naturally_ pink. It used to be short, but now I'm letting it grow out. It's at my upper-back right now. Although I guess that it's hard to tell, because I always keep my hair in pigtails. They aren't pigtails that make me look innocent, though. They just sort of add to my gothic appearance.

Another weird thing is the eye patch on my right eye. I hadn't always been blind in that eye, but things don't always stay the same, do they?

And I guess my style doesn't help, but who gives a damn?

I went back to reading and stopped four hours later so I could go to bed. Tomorrow, I was going to start going to my new school; Konoha High School. I'd be the new kid. And I'd probably get a lot of unwanted attention.

I set my uniform out. This school's uniform was a black dress for girls. It wasn't too long' it ended at my knees. It had a V-neck and long sleeves, with puffy shoulders. The dress fit perfectly around my torso, flowing out freely once it got to my waist.

Surprisingly, I liked it.

I fell asleep, and had that dream again…that horrible nightmare I never wanted to see. I've never told anybody I had them. And nobody ever noticed. I wasn't the kind of idiot who screamed from a dream.

I woke up right before my alarm clock went off, ringing annoyingly. I turned it off and got up, heading to the bathroom. After a quick shower, I changed into my uniform and put my hair up in its famous pigtails.

Then I headed downstairs, where my mom was lazily sipping at a mug of coffee over some local newspaper. I got an apple out of the fridge and took it with me as I grabbed my sturdy black backpack and headed outside, to walk to KHS.

_I'll take this apple…,_ I thought, thinking of Light Yagami._ And eat it!_ I took a bite out of it and started laughing a bit to myself.

When I got there, I went to the principal's office. Some lady at the front desk gave me my schedule while gaping at me. She was very talented at doing two things at once.

I walked to my homeroom class, getting stares from passers by. Whispers and mutters could be heard from behind my back, but I didn't care; I was way too used to it.

By the time I'd found it, homeroom was almost over. I walked into the classroom and went to the teacher's desk. The funny thing was his left eye was covered, along with a majority of his face. He was reading some book.

"I'm Sakura Haruno," I said.

"You must be my cute new student?" he asked. My eye twitched.

"Yes," I said, grinding my teeth together.

'Cute'?_ Is the guy a pedophile or something?_ I wondered angrily.

"You'll be next to Naruto and Hinata, Sakura," he said. "Naruto! Hinata! Raise your hands!"

I saw two hands popping up into the air in the middle of a bundle of people. I couldn't see their owners. I walked in that direction, and found my desk. I sat down in it silently, and the mass of people surrounding went quiet.

"H-hello," said a girl next to me. Hinata, I guessed. "I'm Hinata Hyuuga. Nice to meet you."

I looked at her. She was a pretty thing, with violet hair and pupil-less eyes. Her skin was perfect; clear and white, although her cheeks were flushed pink. She made the school outfit look ugly.

I smiled at her. Somehow, she seemed like the type of person I'd want to be friends with.

"I'm Sakura Haruno," I said. I held out a hand. "Nice to meet you, too, Hinata-chan."

She smiled happily and took my hand. The poor thing was trembling as we shook.

"H-Haruno-san," she stammered. "Let's be friends."

I shook my head. "Call me Sakura!" I insisted.

Hinata smiled even more. "O-okay," she said. "S-Sakura-chan…."

I nodded approvingly.

"So you're Sakura-chan!" an energetic voice behind me said. My eye twitched.

I turned to face a cute blond with bright blue eyes.

"Yes," I said.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki!" he said proudly. "Let's be good friends!"

The others around seemed to take encouragement and began introducing themselves, too.

That was the first time that I met Naruto. And the second I met him, I knew that he was someone who I'd never be able to get along with.

Naruto's POV

I listened as the new girl introduced herself to Hinata. She seemed really nice, despite her scary appearance. When it looked like she'd finished, I took my turn.

"So you're Sakura-chan!" I said. She turned around to face me, and I saw her close up. Her eye was green, emerald green. Her skin was white and clear, flawless. Her eye patch was actually pretty awesome, and her pink hair made her look kind of Goth.

She looked annoyed.

"Yes," she answered.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki!" I told her proudly. "Let's be friends!"

The others began to introduce themselves; Ino, Tenten, Lee, Neji, Shikamaru, Chouji, Kiba, and Shino.

Everyone began to become more comfortable around Sakura-chan, even though the only one she seemed to want to talk to was Hinata.

That was the first time I met Sakura-chan. From the second I saw her, I knew she had something dark and painful hidden deep inside her. I just had no idea how dark.

A/N: That's the end of the chapter! I know, it was short, but oh well. What dark secrets does Sakura have? Why does she have an eye patch? And yes, it's still a SasukexSakuraxNaruto fanfic (no yaoi, fangirls). Please Review!


	2. Chapter 2

Listen to My Story

Chapter 2: A Youthful Blemish. Y-Yuri?!

Sakura's POV

Kakashi was too busy reading his book to teach us (honestly, how did he keep his job?) so we talked all bell. _We_, meaning me and Hinata-chan. Ino, Tenten, Kiba, and Naruto kept on trying to get me into their conversations, but I only wanted to talk to Hinata-chan.

Hinata-chan told me about her family, which turned out to be a high-class, rich one. She was the next head, apparently, although she thought that her cousin Neji would be a lot better.

I talked to her about my family, too, although it wasn't nearly as interesting in my opinion. I had a normal mom, and a workaholic dad who was overseas for business. I didn't have any siblings. Although, I did have some cousins, our parents didn't get along too well, so we've never met.

"It's not that bad," I said, kind of alarmed when Hinata-chan clapped a hand over her mouth. "You can't miss who you've never met, right?"

Hinata-chan removed her hand and smiled a little faintly. "I-I guess that's true…," she said quietly.

The bell rang and we went to second period. The teacher's name was Iruka and he was nice, although he didn't let us do whatever we wanted while he read porn like Kakashi.

Instead he taught us World History.

After listening to a lecture about the holocaust, we were given homework and left for third period, P.E. The teacher was a guy named, well, Guy. Weird, huh? He was like a grown-up version of Lee. Same bushy eyebrows, same black bowl hair cut, same green suit, same round eyes, and the same pinging smile. I say 'pinging' because whenever they smile, there's a creepy *ping!* sound.

"My youthful students," said Guy. "Today, we shall be participating in a youthful contest of-_YOUTHFUL MAMA!_" Guy looked at me. I was in a gym uniform like everyone else, but I still didn't look totally normal. It's not like I took my eye patch off when I exercised.

"W-Why are you blemishing your youth, youthful student?" he asked. He took a step towards me, rivers of tears flooding down his cheeks, and I took a step back.

"Don't be frightened!" he said. "I am here to help you!"

_That's scary enough for me…,_ I thought, taking another step backwards.

He came closer and closer, and I kept on moving further and further back, until I hit a wall.

"There is no reason to ruin your youth!" he said. "You may find that you want attention, but wearing an eye patch without reason and dying your hair pink is not the right way to do it!"

My eye twitched, and I began to slide sideways.

_Who dyed their hair?_ I wondered angrily. _Who's wearing an eye patch without reason?_

I thought that my mom had spilled the beans to the faculty, but clearly I was mistaken.

"Come, youthful girl!" he came closer and closer.

I narrowed my eye, still moving away from him. "Come where?" I asked. My voice was completely toneless, blank.

He stretched out his arms, as if he was going to hug me. "To paradise~," he said.

I shuddered. "What kind of paradise?" I asked with a voice billions more calm then I felt.

"The kind where I exist~," he said. His eyes began to twinkle.

I bolted.

"Ah!" he cried in surprise. I was already at the other side of the gym.

I heard snickers from the crowd.

"Come back, my youthful student!" he cried. He began to run after me.

I ran away, across the gym. "HELL NO!" I yelled behind my back.

"Oh!" he cried. "Such un-youthful language!"

The rest of the class broke out in laughter as they watched me being chased around the gym by that creepy teacher.

"Go Sakura-chan!" I heard Naruto calling.

Naruto's POV

Sakura-chan and Hinata were best friends by the end of first bell. Sakura-chan never paid any attention to anyone but Hinata. That is, until third bell, P.E. She didn't really have much of a choice, to tell the truth.

Today, we were supposed to be having a kickball tournament. But it never happened.

"My youthful students," said Guy-sensei. "Today, we shall be participating in a youthful contest of-_YOUTHFUL MAMA!_" he exclaimed in surprise as he set his round eyes on Sakura-chan. She was in the gym uniform (black shorts and a white shirt with KHS on it), but she still stood out.

No one else had pink hair in pigtails. And no one else wore an eye patch. Not even Kakashi, who wore a mask.

"W-Why are you blemishing your youth, youthful student?" Guy-sensei asked Sakura-chan. He took a step forward, and I couldn't blame her for taking a step back. Tears began to pour down his face like miniature waterfalls. "Don't be frightened!" he called. "I am here to help you!"

Sakura-chan took another step backwards.

Guy-sensei continued to move closer to her, as she moved further away, until she'd backed up into the wall.

"There is no reason to ruin your youth!" he called at her. "You may find you want attention, but wearing an eye patch without reason and dying your hair pink is not the right way to do it!"

That was when I started wondering. Why was Sakura-chan's hair pink? And why did she wear that eye patch? Somehow, she didn't strike me as the type of person to wear it for attention or to look like a pirate.

Sakura-chan's un-patched eye twitched in annoyance, and she began to slide sideways.

"Come, youthful girl!" he cried dramatically, stepping towards Sakura-chan more and more.

Sakura-chan's emerald eye narrowed in mistrust as she continued to edge away from the gym teacher. "Come where?" she asked in a calm, emotionless voice. The only person she seemed to use emotion with so far was Hinata.

Guy-sensei stretched out his arms, preparing to embrace her. "To paradise~" he said.

Poor Sakura-chan shuddered. "What kind of paradise?" she asked calmly.

"The kind where I exist~," Guy-sensei said, eyes twinkling. For some reason I got really angry.

But then the anger faded. Sakura-chan bolted to the opposite side of the room. Damn, she was fast!

"Ah!" Guy-sensei cried in surprise.

People began to laugh a bit; this was just too funny.

"Come back, my youthful student!" he cried. He started running after her.

Sakura began running away. "HELL NO!" she yelled at him.

"Oh!" said Guy-sensei in surprise. "Such un-youthful language!"

Everybody started laughing as they watched the chase continue.

"Go Sakura-chan!" I yelled in encouragement.

She shot a glare at me but kept on running. The kids began chanting Sakura-chan's name, even Lee, who was extremely close to him.

I don't know how, but somehow Sakura-chan ended up running away while carrying Hinata. It was plain bizarre. No one knew how the heck poor Hinata had gotten involved.

Sakura's POV

The entire class began chanting my name. Hinata-chan came running at me. I think she was trying to help, but she was about to get run over by Guy, so I ended up carrying her around with me as I ran away from that lunatic of a teacher.

"Are you okay, Hinata-chan?" I asked her.

Hinata-chan smiled sweetly, blushing a bit. "Yes," she said.

Then the whole room went quiet. Guy stopped chasing us. They were all blushing madly. I didn't get it.

"Y-Yuri…," I heard some guy I didn't know say, before fainting with a nosebleed.

The bell rang and the period ended in complete confusion.

A/N: For those of you who don't know what Yuri is, its girlxgirl stuff, the female equivalent of Yaoi, okay? Not that this is a SakuHina fanfic (although I must admit I have no problems with that pairing!), it was just something that sorta happened.^^' Anyways, that's the end of chapter 2~!^^ Please review guys! XD


	3. Chapter 3

Listen to My Story

Chapter 3: Nosy Naruto!

Sakura's POV

After that crazy third bell, we had lunch. The group (that's what I'm beginning to call the combination of Naruto, Kiba, Neji, Lee, Shikamaru, Chouji, Ino, Tenten, and Hinata-chan) led me to their usual tables. Naturally, I immediately sat next to Hinata-chan.

As we ate, we talked. Because that's just what happens when you eat with somebody you know and somewhat like. Ino and Tenten somehow managed to butt into our (meaning Hinata-chan and I) conversation about our favorite pastimes.

"I like to draw when I have free time," Hinata confessed quietly to me over her salad. "Is that weird?"

"I don't think so," I said. "I read and listen to music most of the time. What do you draw?"

Hinata opened her mouth to answer but was interrupted by a voice I was beginning to recognize.

"You didn't strike me as the bookworm type, Sakura," said the girl with blond hair, Ino.

_What the hell? Was she eavesdropping on us?_

I sighed and replied calmly, "There are probably a lot of things I don't strike you as."

"Probably...," she agreed. I looked at her and found her blue eyes fixed on my green one in a calculating gaze, as if they were trying to figure me out.

Another voice started speaking. "Well, I like to practice my knife-throwing!" it said cheerfully.

I looked at its owner; a girl with her brunette hair in two Mickey Mouse buns. I was pretty sure she'd said her name was Tenten….

"You throw knives?" I asked curiously. I couldn't help myself; it was interesting.

She beamed happily, as if pleased that I'd seemed at least a little interested in what she had to say.

"Yup!" she said proudly. "It sort of became a hobby I developed after watching people do it to each other in the traveling circuses that passed by here when I was little."

"Are you good?"

She shrugged modestly. "Who knows…?" she said mysteriously. "Why not come to my place this weekend with Hinata and find out?" Tenten winked at me.

_It can't hurt…,_ I thought. I was way too curious to back out now.

"Yeah, okay," I said. "How about it, Hinata-chan?"

She said, "I don't mind."

Tenten beamed and held up a hand for a high-five. "Alright!"

I reluctantly smacked my hand against hers. The guys stared.

"How do you guys do it?" asked Naruto, not trying to keep his voice down. "First Hinata, now Tenten. Why can't we get her to be friendly to us?"

Tenten suddenly slid over to my side of the table and slung an arm around my back in a hug. "Girl's secret!" she said, winking.

I sweat dropped.

After lunch was Math with Asuma and Science with Kurenai. After that, I would be all done.

So the school day dragged on for a long, almost eternal (that's what it felt like) while, and then we were freed.

I walked home alone, and it was finally peaceful for the first time that day. It was quiet, perfectly normal, just like what I'd been wishing for all day. When I got home, my mom was still at work.

I just went upstairs, did my homework, and began to read again.

For the rest of the week, everyday was pretty much the same. During that time I managed to become friends with not only Ino, but Shikamaru (a super-lazy genius with hair like a pineapple), Chouji (a 'pleasantly plump' guy with a heart of gold), and Neji (Hinata-chan's cousin). They were all fairly calm, so got along well with them. I still had some issues with Naruto, Kiba, and Lee, though. I didn't hate them, but I couldn't say we were close enough to be friends.

On Friday morning, I arrived at school early. Friday was the day we'd arrange to go and see Tenten thrown knives at her place, so there was finally something to look forward to other than reading more at the end of the day. Not that I didn't like reading; I love it. But it was still good to have a change once in a while. I was going straigh to her house from school so I didn't get lost.

Nobody else was in the classroom except for Kakashi, who was reading his porn book like usual.

I walked over to my desk and took out my book. After what felt like five minutes, I felt a tap on my shoulder. Expecting to see Tenten, I turned around to look at who it was. But it wasn't Tenten. It wasn't Hinata-chan. Heck, it wasn't even a girl.

Naruto's POV

I woke up that day and went to school after getting dressed into my uniform and eating an instant-cup of beef ramen. It was good! When I got to school, I was kind of surprised that somebody else was in the room at this time besides Kakashi-sensei. Sakura-chan was sitting in her desk, reading a book.

So I did the normal thing and walked over to her, tapping her shoulder to let her know I was there. She turned and looked at me. She looked a little surprised to see me at first, but then her blank expression reappeared on her face.

"Morning, Sakura-chan!" I said.

She looked at me, her eyebrow twitching a bit.

"Morning," she said curtly. Sakura-chan returned to her book.

I sat down in my seat and put my stuff on my desk.

"What was your old city like?" I asked her.

She answered me without looking away from her book, "Why do you want to know?"

I shrugged. "Just curious, I guess."

"It was…big," she said.

Couldn't she be a bit more descriptive?

"Did you like it?" I asked.

She paused for a bit before answering quietly, "I used to…."

_She used to?_ I wondered, noticing the past-tense.

"Why?"

She looked away from me completely, turning the back of her head at me. "Why do you care?" she asked.

Was she avoiding the question on purpose?

"Because...," I said vaguely. "Anyways, back to my question."

Her back stiffened. "You didn't answer my question."

"And you didn't answer mine, either," I pointed out.

She turned around and glared at me. "I don't see why I should answer if you won't."

God, why was she so stubborn?

I sighed. "Fine," I said. "I'm curious. There. Now answer my question."

"I don't see why I should tell you if you're only curious," she said. "I mean, I never said I would tell you."

"But you said-"

"-That I couldn't see why I should answer if you didn't," she cut in.

_What the hell?! I was tricked!_

Right then, Tenten and Hinata walked in and went up to her to talk. I'd lost my chance.

Right then Shikamaru and Chouji walked in and joined me at my desk. Chouji was carrying around a giant bag of potato chips while munching on them.

"What's up?" Shikamaru asked me, yawning.

I shook my head. "I don't get it, Shikamaru," I said.

Why wouldn't she tell me?

Shikamaru sighed. "Don't get what?" he asked.

"Why wouldn't she tell me?" I asked him. "It was just a question!"

Chouji put a pudgy hand on my shoulder and looked me in the eye. "You are not pleasantly plump, Naruto," he told me wisely. "Girls normally say yes immediately to guys that are pleasantly plump these days. She probably needs time to think about it."

I sweat dropped. "What are you talking about, Chouji?" I asked him, completely none-plussed.

Chouji looked surprised. "You weren't talking about a girl you asked out?" he asked me.

I shook my head.

"Oh…," he said. And then he started shoving more chips into his mouth even faster.

Sakura's POV

Lunch came faster than it had on Monday. Now, I was sitting in between Hinata-chan and Tenten, and across from Ino. Tenten talked to me all lunch about her favorite knives and throwing techniques.

"And there's this really sweet one where you shoot while you're running! I can't wait for you and the rest to see it!"

I had been paying her my undivided attention until she said 'the rest'.

"The rest?" I asked.

She ate a bit of her sandwich and then answered me. "Sorry, Sakura," she apologized. "I forgot to tell you. Ino invited the guys to come with us on Friday night so we can all hang out."

"Oh," I said. I didn't really mind that much. But still…Naruto might be, to use Shikamaru's word, troublesome. He was starting to ask questions that I wouldn't, no, couldn't answer.

A/N: Sorry for the late update. I kept on writing and rewriting this chapter because they never seemed right. That's the end of Chapter 3. Please Review!


	4. Chapter 4

Listen to My Story

Chapter 4: Sitting By the Fire.

Sakura's POV

When school was over, I walked to Tenten's house with everybody else. Chouji was munching on chips, while he and Shikamaru talked. Lee, Kiba, and Naruto were arguing over who was better at sports. Tenten was telling Ino about this guy she liked (for some reason, her eyes kept on darting at Neji) while Hinata-chan and I were talking about animals.

"I love birds and butterflies," she said, blushing. "They're always elegant...."

I smiled at her. She was so sweet.

"I'm more of a black cat person," I told her. "That thing about black cats being unlucky is so stupid."

She nodded in agreement.

When we got to Tenten's house, we all went inside. Tenten's mom was there, and she greeted us.

"Hey, guys!" she said. "Make yourself at home! Feel free to eat anything," she eyed Chouji a bit warily when she said this. She looked at Tenten and said, "Minnie-Mouse, your stuff is in the back like you asked. I've got the wood ready, so you can light it whenever you're ready."

Naruto, Kiba, Lee, Chouji, and Ino laughed a bit when Tenten's mom went back upstairs.

"Minnie-Mouse?" Ino giggled, raising an eyebrow.

Tenten blushed and her eyes flickered to Neji again. "S-she calls me that because of my hair…," she explained.

"At least your mom doesn't call you Saku-Peary," I said seriously.

Ino gaped at me. "Saku-Peary?" she asked.

I nodded.

"I mean, she could at least call me Saku-Cherry. What do pears have to do with me?" I said, still serious.

The rest laughed. Tenten sent me a grateful look.

"I didn't know you had a sense of humor!" Ino giggled.

"Maybe I'm being serious," I suggested.

The rest stared in silence.

"Just kidding," I said tonelessly. Hinata-chan giggled quietly while everyone laughed again.

Tenten brought us to her living room and we made ourselves comfortable, talking and watching T.V. Time passed, and the afternoon sunset became night. I was in the middle of another conversation with Hinata-chan when Tenten's shouted over all of us, "Come on, guys!"

We all went to her backyard. There were five little targets set up on the wall of her shed (which was full of little holes). About seven feet in front of it was a huge stack of wood about four feet wide. Tenten was holding a bunch of tiny knives she'd said were called kunai.

Tenten's mom came over and lit the fire, which began to blaze. We all watched it until Tenten cleared her throat loudly to remind us _she_ was the main attraction, not the burning stack of wood.

Then she started. Tenten did complicated little spins as she threw kunai at the targets, never missing the bull's eye. When ever she threw another kunai at one she'd already used, she'd knock out the kunai that was in the center and replace it with another one in one throw.

When she finished, she gave a little bow and we all applauded and whistled. I walked over to her.

"That was amazing!" I told her honestly. "Oh my God, you were so awesome!"

Tenten smiled happily. "Thanks!" she said and she hugged me.

We stayed outside and watched the fire. It was really fun. But…somehow, it was familiar…I stared at the fire and began to think about the things that I'd closed off from my mind…the things I'd told myself I would forget….

(A/N: If you haven't read my other story, then read this. If it's underlined and in italics, it's a memory, not a thought.)

"_Sakura!" a cold voice said. "What's with that fire? It's puny!"_

_I looked at the fire I had been working hard on for hours. It was barely surviving, flickering weakly in the wind on the sticks it was feeding off of._

"_Then show me your skills, oh Master of Fire!" I said sarcastically, moving aside for the other person. "Go on!" I said, gesturing for him to give it a shot._

"_Hn," he said. That was probably his favorite word. "Whatever."_

_He sat down in front of the kindling fire, and before my eyes the little fire I'd been struggling to keep going was roaring, big. He smirked. "It's not that hard," he said, throwing some more wood into it. _

_I blushed and crossed my arms stubbornly. "I made it easy for you," I told him._

"_Did you?" he asked me. "I didn't notice."_

"_You!" I shouted at him, but he ignored me._

_He sat down and got the bag of marshmallows that had been getting bored and put one on his metal stick thingy and put one on mine. He held the stick out and I unfolded my arms to take it._

"_Thanks, Sasuke-kun…."_

"Hey, Sakura-chan? What's up?" Naruto's voice brought me out of my thoughts and I turned to find he was sitting next to me.

"Eh? Oh, it's nothing…," I said.

He lifted his eyebrows but didn't say anything. I looked around and noticed that two people were missing.

"Where are Hinata-chan and Tenten?" I asked him.

He gave me a curious look and said, "They went inside to go and get marshmallows. Didn't you hear Tenten shout it out to the world?"

"Uh, no," I answered. "No, I didn't."

"Oh," he said. "Well, she did. They'll be back any second."

And right on cue, Tenten and Hinata-chan appeared. Tenten had two bags of marshmallows and Hinata-chan was carrying the metal sticks. Hinata handed them out to everybody while Tenten tore at the marshmallow bag wildly, trying to get it open.

I walked over to her, took one of her kunai, and tore it open.

She sweat dropped and said, "Oh…eheheh, thanks, Sakura."

"No problem," I said. Hinata-chan gave me a stick and I took it. And so, we all began roasting marshmallows together. I sat next to Hinata-chan, and stared at my marshmallow as it toasted.

"_Sakura," Sasuke-kun said. "You're hopeless at this. You don't put the marshmallow in the fire, or it'll blow up. You have to put it over the fire."_

_I looked at him, surprised by this new piece of information. "Eh? Are you serious? I always thought you were supposed to put it into the fire!"_

"_Dobe," he said. _

"_Who's a dobe, you Popsicle?!" I demanded._

"_You are, dobe," he answered._

_I pointed my stick at him, roasted marshmallow on top, and asked, "Are you asking for a fight?!"_

"_Hn," he said, smirking. "I suggest you eat your marshmallow before I beat you."_

_I plucked the sticky, blackened marshmallow off of the stick and put it into my mouth. "Vere!" I shouted through my mouthful of sticky mush. I swallowed. "En garde!" _

_I charged at him with my stick and he blocked my attack like it was nothing. I kept on attacking and he kept on blocking. After a while my stick could be found whirling through the air and the tip of Sasuke's stick pointed at my chest. _

"_Hmph!" I said once he dropped it. "I let you win."_

_He snorted. _

"_I did!" I insisted. "You're lucky I'm such a generous person!" I told him. _

"_I'm surprised you even know what generous means, being the stupid nine year-old that you are," he said, smirking. _

"_You're a nine year-old too, Popsicle!" I shouted at him. "And I'm not stupid!"_

_He was still wearing that smirk on his face. It always ticked me off, the way he never smiled. How could he be so…emotionless? Or was he just hiding them?_

"_Sakura," Sasuke-kun said in that deep, dark and yet intriguing voice of his. I looked into his dark, onyx eyes. "Your marshmallows are burning."_

"_Eh?!" I shouted in shock as I saw the plastic bag full of my marshmallows going up in flames. "Crap! My marshmallows!"_

"Sakura!" Tenten yelled. "Your marshmallows burning!"

I looked at it, and it really was burning. It had caught on fire just a tiny little bit; a candle-sized flame was flickering on my marshmallow. I calmly leaned over and blew it out, then ate the marshmallow right off of the stick. I felt disbelieving eyes focused on me.

_It's hot! It's hot! It's hot! _

"What?" I asked, trying to look like I didn't have a 1000 degree marshmallow in my mouth. It must've worked, because Naruto, Lee, Kiba, and Tenten looked impressed.

"My turn!" yelled Lee and Naruto at once. They both let their marshmallow catch on fire and blew it out, then popped it into their mouths.

_Idiots…._

"HOT!" yelled Naruto, spitting his out into the grass.

Lee kept on going even though his face was turning red, and he swallowed his. "Sakura-san is very youthful!" he said, crying. "How is she able to eat such a marshmallow?"

Later, everyone said bye to each other and went home, most laughing.

It hadn't been that bad…not really.

Naruto's POV

As I walked home, I thought about the weird way that Sakura-chan had been acting. She'd spaced out a lot, not noticing anything else that had been going on around her. What had she been thinking about?

I wanted to know, but it was obvious that Sakura-chan didn't want to tell me (or anyone else, probably) about it. Why? What was she hiding?

I walked into my apartment and said, "I'm home," quietly. Nobody answered. Nobody ever did. Because there was never anybody there to answer.

A/N: That's the end of chapter 4! Poor Naruto... T.T. Alright, Sasuke's in the story now (kinda…^^')! Yay! Anyways, look out for chapter 5. Please Review!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Sorry, guys.^^' This chapter is kind of long, although I wasn't really planning on it. But anyways, please enjoy!^^

Listen to My Story

Chapter 5: Groceries. In Comes Inner Sakura!

Sakura's POV

I walked into my house, and for once my mom was in it before me.

"Saku-Peary!" she said, running over to me. "How was your day? Did you have fun at your friend's house?"

I nodded and said, "Yeah, I did."

My mom smiled happily and hugged me. I waited patiently for her to release me. "That's great, honey!" she said. "Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?"

I shook my head and walked upstairs, leaving her looking disappointed behind me.

I shut the door behind me and walked flopped onto my bed without bothering to turn on the light. After a while, I reached under my pillow and pulled out a long, thin object. After I'd gotten it, we'd (my mom and I) gone around the city looking for a place that sold those kind of things. When we'd finally found one, we paid for them to put it in a case to make it look better. The case was made of wood, and it had been painted red with pink cherry blossoms on it. It was pretty, but I could never bring myself to like it. And I probably never would.

Even so, I kept it in my room. It was important, even if I hated it. It was something I wouldn't ever be able to let go of.

_Sasuke-kun…._

I'd thought about him today more than I'd let myself in weeks. I kept on telling myself that I didn't want to remember him, that I needed to forget him…. But deep down, I knew that it wasn't true. I didn't want to forget him. I wanted to live with memories of him forever, and never let go of them. I wanted to keep him embedded inside of me for eternity, way past the time that I die.

My hands closed around the thing I was holding, hard. I heard the wood straining a bit under my grasp.

_Sasuke…-kun…._

The next day, the sunshine wasn't streaming through my black-laced curtains like normal. I peaked out of them and was delighted to see dark clouds covering every inch of the sky, not letting a speck of sunlight through.

I took a shower and changed into a pair of black jeans with a bunch of rips in it and a red tee that also had rips in it (although it didn't show anything).

I walked downstairs to the kitchen and ate breakfast. My mom wasn't there, but a note left on the counter was. It said:

_Dear Saku-Peary,_

_We're having a party at work today! Isn't that great? But the thing is we need to buy groceries. So could you go do the shopping for me? The list is right below this and the money's in the plastic bag right beside it. All you need is to do is go to the grocery and get it, okay? And be careful! It's dangerous for a 14 year-old to go wondering around by their self, you know? Don't talk to strangers!_

_Love, _

_Mom_

_Ugh,_ I thought. _What a way to spend my weekend; picking up groceries._

Then I noticed a P.S.

_P.S. I know you don't want to do this, so I'm putting in some extra money in here for you to spend on books. _

_That's better,_ I nodded in approval.

So I went upstairs and got my plain black purse (no offense to purses, but I hate them. even if I _do_ occasionally use one), then shoved all of the money in my wallet. I contemplated about bringing the thing under my pillow with me just in case, but decided against it.

I left the house and began walking to the local grocery store. It was a bit far from my house, but I didn't really have any other options but to walk there since I couldn't drive. After about an hour, I found it and walked inside. I was having trouble finding everything on my list, though. I'd never been to this grocery store having only lived in Konoha for a week, so I couldn't really say I knew my way around.

I was going back and forth between going to one of the store people for help and just looking by myself.

_I don't want to go, but I might have to if I want to get more books…. I've nearly finished that one so I'll need to go shopping for another one soon…. But still, I don't want to ask for help…damn! _

I'd been so lost in thinking that I hadn't realized somebody I knew had walked into the isle.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and whipped around to see who it was, grabbing their hand.

Then I saw who it was.

"Naruto!" I said in surprise, letting go of his hand.

Naruto was standing there, all by himself. He looked shocked at my reaction but shook it off, and grinned. "Hey, Sakura-chan!" he said happily. "I didn't expect to see you here!"

Naruto's POV

To tell the truth, I was surprised to see Sakura-chan in a grocery store. Somehow, she just didn't seem like the type of person who would go shopping for food. But still, there she was, staring at the shelves of soup as if deep in thought.

_I'd better go say hello!_ I thought. So I walked up to her and tapped her shoulder.

Sakura-chan whirled to face me, grabbing my hand hard. Her eye was narrowed fiercely, and her pigtails were flying around her face.

_What the?! _I was caught off guard at her reaction.

Then she seemed to notice it was me and let go, saying, "Naruto!" as if she was just as surprised to find me here as I was to find her.

I was still a little surprised, but I sucked it up. It was probably natural for a lot of people to act like that when they felt somebody who could be anybody tapping their shoulder.

"Hey, Sakura-chan!" I greeted. "I didn't expect to see you here!"

Her face went back to its normal blank state and she said, "To tell the truth, I didn't expect to see me here either."

I laughed. "Then why are you here?"

She shrugged. "My mom's at some work party, so she couldn't come."

"What about your dad?" I asked with genuine curiosity.

"He's over seas, working, for a change," she answered, with a tinge of iciness in her voice. "I haven't seen the guy for two years."

I was surprised to hear that. And honestly, I was even more surprised that she was telling me.

"Eh? Doesn't he come and visit for Christmas?" I asked, surprised.

She shook her head.

"That sucks," I said.

"Not really," she said coolly.

_Does she not like her dad? _I wondered.

"What about you?" she asked, catching me off guard again. "Where are your parents?"

I smiled. "They aren't here," I said.

She looked surprised. "Where are they?" she whispered.

"They died," I told her, still smiling. "When I was a baby, they died. So my dad's old teacher Jiraya took me in, but he died when I was ten." The memories of that old pervert Jiraya were tearing me up, but I kept on smiling. Just like I always had.

"Naruto…," she said quietly.

Sakura's POV

When Naruto had asked me about my dad, it had felt awkward. Not only did I no know him well enough I never talked about him much except to people who I trusted, like Hinata-chan. So why was I talking to Naruto, stupid, overly-cheerful Naruto about him?

"What about you?" I asked him to change the subject. "Where are your parents?"

Naruto smiled again. "They aren't here," he answered.

_It couldn't be…. _

"Where are they?" I whispered.

_There's no way…._

"They died," he told me. "When I was a baby, they died. So my dad's old teacher Jiraya took me in, but he died when I was ten."

"Naruto…," I said quietly.

How could he keep on grinning like that? Even though he was talking about the deaths of people close to them, how could he keep it on?

**But somehow…,** a small voice in my head said. **Doesn't it feel like he's crying?**

_Crying?_ I asked the voice in confusion. _He's not crying. There isn't a single tear in his eyes._

**True,** said the small voice. **But doesn't it feel like he's crying?**

_Now that you mention it, yeah…, _I I realized there was a voice other than my own in my head. _Who are you? _

The voice giggled. It was definitely a girl. **I am you,** **Sakura,** it answered. **And you are me. You can call me Inner me, if you want.**

_Eh?! How can you be me but still think separately from me?! _I asked.

**Inner me: Does it matter? **

_Probably not…,_ I admitted. _But that doesn't mean I'm not curious._

Inner me sighed. Suddenly her voice became much louder.

**Inner me: Whatever! Just hurry up and talk to the guy, Sakura!**

_Yeah, _I sweat dropped. She was kind of pushy….

"Hey, Naruto?" I asked.

"Yeah?" he asked.

_I can't believe I'm doing this…,_ I thought grimly.

**Inner me: Oh, shut up! You're the one who decided to do it in the first place!**

I sighed and continued, "Do you know your way around the store?"

"Yeah…," he said, looking kind of confused. "Why?"

"Good!" I said. "Then help me! I freaking know right from left in here!"

He nodded bemusedly.

And so, I went grocery shopping with Naruto Uzumaki. When we'd both bought everything we needed, we walked out of the store.

"Do you need help carrying those home, Sakura-chan?" he asked, pointing to the four (heavy) bags I was carrying.

I didn't really know the answer so I just said, "I'm going to a bookstore before I go home."

"Bookstore?" he repeated.

"Bookstore," I confirmed, nodding.

"Okay…," he said, making a funny face. "In that case, we can drop your stuff off at my apartment first," he said. "You can put them in my fridge so they don't go bad, and pick them up after you've bought your books."

I smiled at his thoughtfulness. "Thanks," I said. And so we walked to his apartment that was only two blocks away.

It was at the top of the building. Naruto opened the door, and revealed a simple apartment. But somehow, there was something off from my original image of it….

"What is it, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked as he put my bags in his fridge. It was practically empty. But when he put his groceries (instant ramen) in the cupboard, it was full of nothing but instant ramen.

"It's…," I tried not to sound offensively surprised. "Clean."

There weren't any clothes lying around on the floor, the sink was completely dish-free, and the surfaces were fairly dustless.

Naruto laughed.

"What did you expect, Sakura-chan?" he asked, still chuckling. "I live alone, so I have to know how to clean up or else I would've been a goner."

_That makes sense…,_ I thought.

**Inner me: No dip, Sherlock.**

_No one asked you!_

Naruto walked with me to the bookstore, talking nonstop about his dream to become recognized by the rest of Konoha.

I smiled and listened a bit bemusedly as he went on and on. But somehow, it wasn't as unpleasant as I'd thought it would be.

_Maybe I've been a bit prejudiced,_ I thought.

Inner me snorted.

**Inner me: A**_** bit**_**? A lot, I'd say!**

After buying enough books to keep me busy for a while, I paid for them and went back to Naruto's apartment.

"Let's go!" he said cheerfully, holding two of my five bags (I got another one for the books).

"No, its okay," I said. "You've done enough for me, you don't need-"

But Naruto was already out the door.

I sighed and followed. I led him to my house, which my mom still hadn't returned to.

"Thanks a lot, Naruto," I said.

He grinned. "No problem, Sakura-chan!"

I felt like I owed him, and I didn't like owing people, so I told him, "I'll treat you to ramen sometime."

Naruto was stunned. Apparently, it was that shocking for me to do something like that for him.

"Really?" he asked once he'd recovered.

"Really," I said. "But I want to make it clear that it's not a date. Just as…friends," it was hard for me to use the last word.

Naruto smiled bigger than ever and said, "Thanks, Sakura-chan!" then left.

_Geez,_ I thought. _I'm getting too soft._

**Inner me: Yeah, you are. **

A/N: Yay! Inner Sakura's in the story now! I put her in this one because of my other story Fallen. I wanted more Inner Sakura! XD

**Inner Sakura: HELL YEAH! The main character is finally here!**

The main character was there from the beginning….

**Inner Sakura: No, I wasn't!**

Whatever…anyways, that's the end of Chapter 5. Please Review!^^


	6. Chapter 6

Listen to My Story

Chapter 6: Oh, Tart!

Sakura's POV

The weekend came to an end, and my second week living in Konoha began. When I walked into homeroom on Monday, I got a cheerful greeting from none other than…Ramen-Boy.

"Hey, Sakura-chan!" he yelled happily, waving enthusiastically at me.

I smiled weakly. "Hi, Naruto…."

Ino, Tenten, Shikamaru, Neji, Chouji, Kiba, Lee, and Hinata-chan stared at me. Only Shino didn't. He was busy reading a book called _Bugs Volume 2: Survival of the Fittest._

Naruto kept on grinning, oblivious as always.

"What?" I asked them unconcernedly.

**Inner me: Heh…? They probably think something **_**interesting**_** happened between you and Naruto….**

_Interesting?_

**Inner me: You know, like you guys went to a love h-**

_S-shut up!_ I blushed. _All that happened was we met at the grocery store and he helped me out! That's all!_

**Inner me: If you say so….**

_I say so, damn it!_

"You guys are acting really intimate, you know?" Ino said, grinning wolfishly.

_How is saying 'Hi, Naruto' intimate…?_

Naruto grinned. "Yeah!" he shouted happily, getting a few looks from other people. "Sakura-chan and I are getting along great! We went shopping together on Saturday, right, Sakura-chan? And she went to my apartment, too!"

Hinata-chan's eyes became wide. Ino and Tenten were blushing crimson. Shikamaru and Chouji were looking _extremely_ surprised, and Kiba and Lee were whispering to each other with sly grins on their faces.

_I-idiot…._

"I-I didn't think you were that type, Sakura," said Ino.

"Eh?" Naruto looked at me. "What's wrong, Sakura-chan?"

**Inner me: That idiot! Putting it in a way they'll misunderstand…!**

_Whatever,_ I thought. _It doesn't matter what other people think. We're used to being_ _judged…and it's not that bad, right?_

**Inner me: I guess not…but still!**

"We just met at the grocery store and he helped me carry them," I said calmly. "And then he let me drop my things off at his apartment because I wanted to go to a bookstore, but my house was really far away so that way they could stay fresh."

Ino, Lee, Kiba, and Tenten all sighed at once, looking disappointed.

Homeroom ended and the 'lesson' began. It was the same as it was everyday; Kakashi's class (where we did whatever we felt like while Kakashi read), Iruka's class (where we had a boring old test), Guy's class (where we did more suicides than was legal, I swear), lunch, Asuma's class (math…someday it'll kill us all), and Kurenai's (where we had fun playing with chemicals).

The only difference was the face that Naruto was being even more friendly and talkative around me than ever. Apparently, he'd decided that the weekend's events had made us close.

He'd start talking to me whenever he had the chance; at lunch, during classes, when we were switching classes…

"Sakura-chan!" he'd said during lunch. "We're going to the movies on Saturday! Wanna come?"

Everyone had stared at me, waiting for my answer.

**Inner me: Geez. He never gives up.**

I sighed. _I know._

"What kind of movie?" I asked slowly.

Tenten smiled and leaned forward. "It's that new one they've been showing on T.V. all the time," she said.

"I don't watch T.V." I reminded her.

Naruto had looked shocked, but Tenten didn't.

"Well," she'd said. "It's got lots of blood-not the cheesy kind that squirts it all over, but the realistic kind. It also has action…and a bit of mystery…."

Her eyes caught mine, and they started twinkling devilishly. She had me won over and she knew it.

"I-I guess I'll go…since I haven't got anything else to do…," I'd said, taking a bite into my sandwich.

**Inner me: You're so dishonest.**

_Who cares?_

But for the most part it was annoying.

"Sakura-chan, why are you being quiet?" he asked during a lesson.

"Sakura-chan!" he called above the shouting and other various noises in the hallway. "Hinata said she needs you! She said something about barrowing a book!"

"Sakura-chan!" he called. It was the afternoon, and school had just ended. I was about to head home when I'd heard his voice. I turned around to find him running towards me.

My head was starting to hurt.

**Inner me: Does he ever shut up?**

_Be quiet for a second._

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself.

"_It works miracles when you're angry!" my mom told me with a big smile one time when I was little and had asked her why she was doing it. _

"Hey, wait up!" Naruto called, making my head give an especially painful throb.

Nope. No miracles.

I stopped and turned.

"What is it, Naruto?" I asked, trying to keep the irritation out of my voice.

His expression went from his normal happy smile to a look of concern. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"Just a headache," I said.

_Calm down,_ I thought. _He did you a favor and you still haven't repaid him yet…don't go blowing up on him now…._

**Inner me: **_**DAMMIT**_**, SAKURA! It's **_**my**_** job to talk in third person! Don't you **_**dare**_** steal it!**

_Shut up! Just shut up, okay?_

**Inner me: Oh, HELL NO! You did not just tell me to shut up!**

_Hell yeah, I did!_

**Inner me: You damned little **_**tart!**_** How dare you disrespect me?! **

_Tart…? _

**Inner me: Yes, tart!**

_Are you stupid…?_

**Inner me: If I'm stupid than you are too!**

_No…no, it's just you._

**Inner me: DAMN YOU **_**SAKURA**_**!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

"Oh," said Naruto, still looking concerned. "Maybe you'd better go home."

**Inner me: What does he **_**think**_** we were doing?**

"Yeah," I said. "Thanks, Naruto."

I began to walk again, but then he shouted, "TREAT ME TO RAMEN TOMORROW!"

_Treat him to ramen...? _

I looked back at him and finally remembered my promise.

"Um, sure," I said. He waved and I headed home.

The next day came faster than I wanted. Before I knew it, I was at school during homeroom again.

"Don't forget, Sakura-chan!" he yelled the moment he'd spotted me (a.k.a. the second he walked in). "You're treating me to ramen after school today, remember?"

**Inner me: Shit. Damn you, Naruto!!!!!!**

I kept my face calm as all of the people in class went quiet and stared at me in shock.

_Oh, tart…._

A/N: The **TART** is back! XD (if you don't get it, read my other fanfic, Fallen!^^) Anyways, that's the end of chapter 6! Hope you guys liked it!^^ Please review, like always! I love reviews! XD See ya next chapter~!


	7. Chapter 7

Listen to My Story

Chapter 7: Ramen. A Confession?!

Sakura's POV

"I won't," I assured him, feeling awkward. He just had to shout it out for the whole world to hear. Apparently, a classroom full of people wasn't good enough anymore.

Tenten and Hinata-chan were looking at me curiously. I gestured for them to come with me to my desk, and they followed.

"What's going on, Sakura?" Tenten asked.

Hinata-chan nodded, looking dead serious.

**Inner me: Well, it's not exactly a secret that she's head-over-heals for Naruto, is it? And here you are, getting all of his attention and treating him to ramen...she must feel **_**so**_** hurt.**

_Stop being sarcastic,_ I thought back. _To her, it's serious. We have to explain it so that she knows there's nothing going on between me and Naruto. _

Inner me snorted.

**Inner me: As if there ever would be something between **_**us.**_** That's not even possible, all things considered.**

_That's true…._

"You know how he did me a favor on the weekend when I was grocery shopping, right?" I asked them.

They both nodded.

"Well, I offered to treat him to ramen as a thank you. It's not like a date, or anything. You guys can come if you want," I said, and then added at Tenten's look of excitement, "You're paying for your share, though."

Hinata-chan's expression cleared into relief. "I'd be happy to come, Sakura-chan," she said, smiling.

"I'd be happier of you'd pay for me…," Tenten mumbled. "But sure, I'll go with you. How about we go right after school?"

"Alright, then," I said, feeling more cheerful. It would feel a lot less like a date if there were more people coming.

"I'll go invite everybody else to come, too!" Hinata-chan said. And so she walked right over to the place where Naruto, Kiba, Lee, Shino, Neji, Shikamaru, Chouji, and Ino were crowded.

I watched as she began to talk (more like stutter) to them.

I watched as Naruto's happier-than-ever expression fell, just a little bit….

Naruto's POV

I was really happy in the morning. I mean, I was getting treated to ramen by Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan! The same one who always has her hair in pigtails and one eye covered by an eye patch, who had a cold face on unless she was with Hinata (lucky), and who was somehow mysterious….

Since I was so happy, I was full of energy. That was, until after Hinata talked to us….

I was talking to Kiba while Shikamaru and Ino fought and the rest watched (apparently, Shikamaru had said something to Ino…. God, she could be scary.), so it was pretty loud. So it wasn't really all that surprising that I didn't notice her for a few seconds.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and looked to see who it was. Hinata, beet red in the face (I couldn't help but wonder if she had a constant fever), was standing there, her fingers pressing together.

"Hey, Hinata!" I said. The others looked at her.

"H-hello, N-Naruto-k-kun…," she stuttered.

Kiba smiled, too. "What's up?"

"S-Sakura-c-chan is inviting all of us to ramen this afternoon…," she said. Her eyes found mine, and she looked away again, her flush getting even redder.

I felt my heart sink deep, deep down.

_Sakura-chan invited everybody else…? But I thought…,_ I thought.

"N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata looked at me, seeming worried.

I smiled even though I really didn't feel like it.

"What is it, Hinata?"

"N-nothing…," she mumbled.

"So are you guys coming or not?" I asked.

"I am!" Kiba shouted, putting his hand in the air.

"I will youthfully go!" declared Lee.

"I'll go," said Chouji through a mouthful of potato chips.

"Shikamaru and I are coming too!" Ino said cheerfully.

"Why?" asked Shikamaru.

"Because I said so!" said Ino, giving him the evil look. I didn't blame Shikamaru for shuddering.

"Troublesome…," he mumbled.

"Neji's coming too!" Tenten said, raising Neji's hand for him.

I stared at her. "Where did you come from?"

She beamed, her eyes twinkling. "Well, my mom confessed to my dad, and so they started dating. Then they got married and not long after that-"

"Too much information!" Ino said, clapping her hand over Tenten's mouth.

The day moved on a lot slower than I thought it would.

"_Time flies when you're having fun!" Jiraiya told me. _

_A couple of teenage girls walked down the street, chatting happily. Jiraiya nearly flew on his way towards them._

Sakura's POV

The final bell rang, signaling that school had ended.

I hadn't seen Naruto make an unhappy expression for the rest of the day (unless you count when Asuma popped a quiz on us). But somehow, he still didn't seem like he was as…Naruto-ish as normal. I just couldn't put my finger on _how_.

**Inner me: You've been noticing him a lot more since Hinata invited the rest to come with us.**

_Have not._

**Inner me: Have too, DAMMIT!**

_Have not._

**Inner me: Sakura, we both know who's going to win this.**

_No dip, Sherlock. According to you, we're the same person._

**Inner me: You know what I mean.**

_Yeah,_ I agreed.

**Inner me: Just admit it. You feel guilty for letting him down.**

_There isn't any reason to feel guilty! I said I'd treat him to ramen, and I'm keeping my promise! _

**Inner me: Don't play dumb.**

I sighed mentally. I knew that she knew that I knew that Naruto wanted it to be just the two of us. As friends, I hoped.

We all headed to most famous local ramen shop, Ichiraku Ramen.

When we got there, we each ordered a bowl of either pork or chicken ramen. We were sitting in a row, and I was in between Hinata-chan and Naruto. Naruto was slurping his ramen quietly, and talking to Lee.

Hinata-chan was quietly slurping at her ramen as she stared at Naruto.

I looked at him too.

**Inner me: Apologize.**

_No. Why should I?_

**Inner me: SAKURA! DO WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS AGAIN, DAMMIT!?!?!?!?**

_But I don't want-_

**Inner me: Oh, for tart's sake, Sakura!**

I tried to move my right hand to eat more ramen, but it ended there. It was just a try. My hand didn't move a millimeter.

_Eh?! What the?!_

My hand began to tremble uncontrollably.

_WHAT THE HELL!?!?!?!?!?_

My trembling right hand dropped my chopsticks and moved towards Naruto's shoulder. And unexplainably, my shaking finger poked his shoulder without me controlling it.

_Oh, tart…._

Naruto turned to look at me.

"What is it, Sakura-chan?" he asked me.

**Inner me: Go on, Sakura! Say you're sorry!**

_So it's your fault!_

**Inner me: So what if it is? Just do it! Go on!**

I averted my eyes from his face.

"I…," I began.

"You what?" he asked.

"I'm…," I heard somebody's chopsticks drop into their broth.

"I'm…, Naruto, I'm…," I looked up at him. His face looked very confused. Why was it suddenly so hard to say two words?

Naruto's POV

I felt somebody tapping my shoulder for the second time that day.

I turned to face the person who'd done it.

"What is it, Sakura-chan?" I asked her. Her normally calm face looked horrified, her emerald eye staring in disbelief at her hand.

After a while, she said, "I…."

"You what?" I asked her, completely bewildered.

"I'm…," she tried again. She was beginning to remind me of Hinata. Hinata's chopsticks dropped into her ramen's broth. She stared at Sakura-chan, looking shocked and hurt.

"I'm…, Naruto, I'm…," she said.

"Sakura-chan?" I asked.

"Oh, God, is she confessing to him?! Naruto of all people…," I heard Kiba whisper.

_Confessing…? To me?! _

I felt blood rushing to my cheeks.

"Naruto, I'm sorry!" she said.

I gaped. She was sorry?

"I know you wanted it to be just us here, but it just felt so awkward, so I invited Hinata-chan and Tenten to come, and Hinata-chan invited all of you guys, so it just sorta became another group thing!"

"Oh…," I said. I grinned. "So that's all? I forgive you, Sakura-chan!"

"Thanks," she said. And to general shock, she smiled for someone other than Hinata.

A/N: That's the end of the chapter! I hope that you guys liked it. Please Review!


	8. Chapter 8

Listen to My Story

Chapter 8: Time.

Sakura's POV

The week ended, and soon enough I found myself walking to the movies with everyone else.

We bought tickets and seven giant tubs of popcorn. Chouji had two to himself, while the rest of us shared the other five.

We sat down and watched the movie, and it ended with blood and tragedy. It had been a lot worse than Tenten had told me it would be. I walked out of the theater, feeling a bit disappointed.

**Inner me: That movie sucked. **

_Tell me about it,_ I grumbled. _I thought it would actually be worth my time. _

**Inner me: So did I.**

_Yeah, _I said, smiling a little despite myself. _I know._

"Hey, Sakura!" Tenten said, running over to me. "We're all heading to Hinata's. Want to come?"

"Sure," I said.

Tenten smiled. "Great! I wonder if I'll get to see Neji's room this time!" she added happily. Luckily, Neji hadn't heard her.

I stared at her.

Tenten looked dumbstruck.

"Did I say that out loud?" she asked me.

I nodded solemnly.

"Oh my god, Tenten!" Ino exclaimed. "You're _blushing_! _You!_ God, I never thought I'd see this day come." She took out her phone and snapped a picture.

"Ino!" Tenten shouted. She began to chase Ino around everyone else in a circle, trying to get her phone.

"Gotcha!" Tenten shouted triumphantly, grabbing Ino's arm. "What…? Where's your phone?"

Shikamaru put his hand up in the air along with Ino's phone.

"Lee, catch!" Shikamaru shouted, tossing Ino's phone to him.

Tenten charged at him, laughing, and he passed it to Kiba, who passed it to Naruto, who passed it to-

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted, tossing it to me as Tenten (out of breath but still going) ran at him, still laughing.

I caught it and stared at the shiny, expensive looking thing in my hands. I hadn't expected anyone to pass it to me.

Tenten noticed that I wasn't passing it, so she ran at me in slow-motion (probably to try and make it last longer).

I laughed at her mock-serious face and passed it to Hinata-chan.

Hinata-chan blushed, and hot-potatoed it between her hands, before passing it back to me.

I took it and ran. Tenten (where the heck did all of that stamina come from?!) chased after me.

I eventually passed it to Chouji, who gave it to Ino, who gave it to Neji.

Tenten tackled him when he took too long, and they both laughed.

"Aw," Ino said, watching Tenten (who was sitting right on top of Neji to keep him from moving) reach for it. "What a cute couple!"

Tenten blushed. I turned my head away from them.

"_Sasuke-kun!" I shouted at the top of my lungs angrily. "Give it back!"_

_Sasuke-kun smirked. "Come and get it, Dobe." He held the silver chain necklace, a present I had bought for mom's birthday._

_I charged at him. "Sasuke-kun!" _

_He ran. Fast. He'd always been so much faster than me, but I could tell he wasn't even trying. _

_The Popsicle was _TAUNTING_ me!_

_I sprinted after him, laughing happily as I chased him across the park._

_He tripped over a rock, and stopped moving. _

_I stopped._

"_Sasuke…-kun?" I asked. Was he okay? Was he hurt?_

_Sasuke-kun didn't answer._

"_Sasuke-kun!" _

_I ran to him, tears welling up in my eyes. No! He couldn't be…! _

_He was face down in the grass, still._

_I flipped him over…and he began to shake. With_ laughter.

"_Dobe," he jeered. "You fell for it!"_

_I wiped the tears from my eyes. "Hey! You jerk! _POPSICLE_!" I smiled and sat on him to keep him from moving, and then reached for the necklace that was still clamped inside of his hand._

_He noticed what I was doing and stretched his arm so that it was out of reach, smirking._

_I laughed as I reached for it._

"_Come on!" I said, giggling._

_We were both twelve years old._

"Sakura-chan?" Hinata-chan said, looking into my face with concern. Everybody looked at me. "Is something wrong? Are you feeling bad?"

I smiled at her and patted her head gently. "I'm alright, Hinata-chan," I assured her.

She smiled.

Naruto, Shikamaru, Lee, Kiba, and Neji all got nosebleeds. Shino and Chouji seemed prone to whatever they'd come down with.

"What kind of disease do you guys have?" I asked them, backing away slowly.

"Y-Yuriitis," Kiba answered, one hand over his nose. (A/N: It's pronounced Yuhr-EE-Ai-Tis (i feel a bit like a dictionary.^^'))

"Oh, if that's all," said Ino. She walked over to Shikamaru and drew a pack of tissues out of her purse and handed it to him.

"Thanks," he said, stemming the flow.

She smiled angelically, (although it was nothing compared to Hinata-chan's) and slugged him in the gut. Shikamaru sank to the ground in pain.

"HOW DARE YOU THINK SUCH PERVERTED THOUGHTS ABOUT SAKURA AND HINATA!" she shrieked.

Lee quivered in fear.

"S-so scary!" Kiba stuttered.

Hinata-chan lived in a very, very big, classic house. Everyone called it Hyuuga Manor.

"Welcome home, Ojou-sama, Neji-sama," at least two-dozen maids and butlers said, all bowing down in unison.

"I'm back," Neji and Hinata-chan said.

A maid slid the door open, and we walked into a large room that Hinata-chan told me was an Entrance Room.

**Inner me: WHAT THE **_**HELL**_**!?!?! They even have a room for fucking **_**entering**_**!**

I just gaped.

Hinata-chan took us to the living room, where we all sat. After about a few hours of talking and watching T.V., we left.

That was the beginning of a sort of tradition where I spent some amount of my weekend with the group.

Two months passed, and I began to get more and more used to life in Konoha and the people there, even Inner me (although Naruto still bugs the hell out of me).

In that time, Tenten confessed to Neji and they began going out. Ino and Shikamaru followed suit, making two couples in our group.

I began to lighten up a bit; I smiled and laughed more, although always knowing when to draw the line.

I'd been to everyone's house at least once, but none of them had never even been told where I lived.

Time was moving just like it had for what is now eight months; slowly, steadily, and most of all, mercilessly. Life had become more fun than it had been for what felt like ages, but it still wasn't exactly what I could call happy.

Happy had escaped from me, leaving me alone.

"_Time heals all wounds," mom told me one dark, dark night. _

When would time heal my wounds?

A/N: That's the end of Chapter 8!^^ Please review, review, review! XD I hope you liked it! If you didn't, feel free to tell me. See ya next Chapter! XD


	9. Chapter 9

Listen to My Story

Chapter 9: Poor Shikamaru.

Sakura's POV

I was standing in a room full of one of the words that defined the horror of girliness: dresses. Okay, so I do wear a dress. But only one; my uniform. And I have no choice but to wear it if I want to keep going to school.

But anyways, back to the girly horror house part: I was stuck in a room full of dresses. There was everything from little black dresses to prom dresses to puffy, fancy princess-ish dresses. The mass of way-too-many-colors were making me feel light headed.

_What the hell am I doing here again?_

**Inner me: You sold your soul to the devil and in exchange for eternal youth, he gave you a one-way ticket to hell.**

_If this is hell, then where are_ those _damned_ _bastards?_

**Inner me: On vacation doing limbo.**

_Then why is Hinata-chan here? _

**Inner me: You know what they say. It's always the quiet ones you need to watch out for. **

_What did she do to wind up here?_

**Inner me: Don't you remember, Sakura? She ate your eye patch. **

_That's a really odd thing for her to do_.

**Inner me: TART, IT'S AN ODD THING FOR ANYONE TO DO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

_Is that so?_

**Inner me: Oi…. **

_Alright, fun time's over,_ I declared in my thoughts.

The real reason that I was here was because I was too much of a softie when it came to a certain violet-haired blush machine we all know and love.

Three days ago, at lunch, she sat next to me like normal. And just like normal, she had her awesome lunch with her that she'd brought from home, complete with a salad and rice balls.

One thing was different, though. She seemed deep in thought about something, her brow furrowed in worry.

"Hinata-chan?" I said.

She didn't show any signs that she'd heard me.

"Hinata-chan!" I repeated.

No reaction.

"Naruto, tell her how cute she looks today," I ordered him.

Naruto made a confused *cough-stupid-cough* face, an instant ramen noodle hanging out of the living noodle's mouth.

He shrugged and slurped the noodle all the way in before saying, "Hinata, you look really cute today."

Her expression stayed the same, but her face was steadily turning from white to pink to red and then finally to scarlet. She fell backwards off of her seat.

"Hinata!" Ino, Tenten, Naruto, and Kiba all exclaimed in surprise.

I bent down and picked her up.

"Thank you, Sakura-chan," she said.

I smiled. "You're welcome."

"Are you alright, Hinata?" Ino asked concernedly.

Hinata-chan nodded.

"What were you thinking about?" I asked her. "Is something bothering you?"

She looked surprised. "Well, actually, yes," she said.

"What is it?" I asked her.

Shikamaru and Lee stopped talking and looked at Hinata-chan. Chouji stopped eating his precious potato chips for a rare second. Everyone was looking at her.

"Well," she said, casting a sideways glance at Neji before continuing. "As you guys know, Saturday is my fifteenth birthday. Our family will be hosting a dinner party that night, and that's when Otou-sama* will officially pronounce me as the next family head of the Hyuuga family."

Everyone except for Neji (who just calmly continued eating) stared.

"That sounds like it's really important," said Tenten.

Hinata-chan nodded. "It is. It's very important."

"Why do you seem so worried?" Kiba asked, looking genuinely concerned.

She twisted uncomfortably in her seat. "I-I'm not very confident about myself…. I mean, it's a really big deal, and I just don't know if I'm ready…," her voice trailed off.

"So basically," Lee said, grinning. "You're nervous, youthful Hinata."

She nodded.

Ino smiled. "Don't worry about it!" she said. "We'll all be there to support you, won't we guys?" Her voice went from cheerful to deadly at the last word. "We'll even help you with your clothes and everything! Leave it to me!"

Kiba groaned. "You mean we'll have to go _shopping_?!"

Ino sent him an evil glare. Outside, the birds stopped singing. All of the flies zooming around the table suddenly fell down at once, and a spider that was crawling on my plate suddenly flipped onto it's back, it's legs curled.

**Inner me: Poor thing. It never had a chance.**

Kiba started to tremble. "We'll go, we'll!" He was almost in tears.

Ino smiled innocently.

I had no idea that I thought the same thing as everyone else besides Ino at that very moment. _Poor Shikamaru._

"Good!" she said. "Let's all go shopping Saturday morning!"

No one dared disagree.

And so, that's how I'd ended up standing around in a fancy dress shop at the local mall with Ino, Hinata-chan, and a reluctant Tenten. Ino sent the guys to the food court, and they'd been only too happy to oblige. We were supposed to meet them there when this was done.

"Hinata~!" Ino's sang. "I've found the perfect dress for you! Let's go try it on!"

'_Let's'?_ I wondered.

They both went into the changing room, and I heard some…odd stuff coming from their direction.

"Ah! N-no, Ino, that's-"

"Come on, don't be shy~!"

"Ah! …Nn! No…!"

"Hi-na-ta~!"

"Ah…! …No…! Ino! …Ino…!"

"Oh, Hinata~!"

The few males that had been dragged into the store by their girlfriends got explosive nosebleeds, splattering blood two feet away from themselves.

Tenten and I exchanged looks.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked.

I nodded.

We both pretended to be fighting unconsciousness, (fake) blushing madly, and said together, "Yuri~!"

After about half an hour, Ino came out carrying the dress and looking cheerful. Hinata-chan's face was beet red and her hair was messed up.

Ino bought the dress and gave it to Hinata-chan, and we all went to the food court, not saying a word about anything that might or might not have happened in the dressing room.

A/N: Eheheh…^^'. I know it was kind of weird, but I am writing this from 4:00 AM to 5:40 AM, so maybe I get the excuse of insomnia?^^ Well in case you're wondering, nothing (yuri-ish) did happen in there. The characters in here are purely straight, (although I honestly have no problem with not-straight stuff) so don't draw any wrong conclusions about it. Anyways, that's the end of Chapter 9. Please review! See you guys next chapter! XD

* Okay, for those of you who don't know, Otou-sama is a very, very respectful way of saying 'Father' in Japanese. Otou-san is and Otou-chan are the more commonly used variations. There's also Oyaji and stuff, but I won't go too deep into that. (It'd take too long. And I've got summer reading that I was supposed to do two months ago.^^") For more information, learn Japanese. That is all. XD


	10. Chapter 10

Listen to My Story

Chapter 10: Birthday Party.

Sakura's POV

It was half past noon when we left the mall and went our separate ways. The dinner party started at seven, so I had six and a half hours before it started. We would've hung out longer to kill time, but Ino went ballistic when she found out the time, saying she didn't have nearly enough time to get ready.

Before we left, I'd bought a dress for the party. It wasn't one of the expensive one's from that dress store. Instead, it had been a dark green dress that had caught my eye in another store. It was cheap(-ish. My wallet was still sending back echoes when I talked into it, though) and decent (meaning that it didn't look like a royal gown from five centuries ago).

I put the bag that had the dress in it on my bedroom floor and took out a (shock!) book. I read the day away, and before I knew it, it was five already.

It would take me about forty-five minutes to get to Hyuuga Manor by foot, so I had about seventy-five minutes in prep time.

Which, honestly, was too much. So I took my time in the shower, and afterwards put my hair into its famous pigtails. I changed into my dark green dress that had spaghetti straps and went down to my ankles. Simple. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

I'd finished right on time. I put on comfortable black flats, grabbed Hinata-chan's present, and was about to leave when my mom stopped me.

"Honey!" she said. "Where are you going, all dressed up like that? God, Saku-Peary, you look great!"

"To my friend's birthday party," I answered. "It's a fancy dinner party at Hyuuga Manor."

"Oh!" she exclaimed. She was still surprised that I was friends with the heiress of such a rich family. "Hyuuga Manor, is it? Well then…stay right there, Saku-Peary! I have to go and get something."

I did as I was told, worried that I might be late. There were crashes and booms coming from my mom's room upstairs. The smoke detector went off after a questionable explosion noise.

Finally, she came down.

She stepped in front of me, smiling and wiping soot off of her face.

"Here," she said, holding out her hand. She obviously had something she wanted to give to me.

I held out my hand, and she dropped something cold and light into it.

I looked at it. It was a necklace. Not just any necklace, but a silver chain necklace. _The_ silver chain necklace.

"Mom, this is…," my voice trailed off and I gazed at it, remembering.

I told myself to stop. I didn't want to remember.

Mom smiled. "Yes," she said gently. "It's the necklace that you gave me for my birthday."

"Which birthday was it again?" I asked her, trying to remember. "Wasn't it your-"

"You're just so cute!" she shouted loudly, thumping me on the back with every word. I winced.

I looked at the clock.

"Mom, I'm late. I need to go now," I said. I made to leave again, but her hand stopped me.

"I'll take you, Saku-Peary," she said. "I'll drop you off in the car. Just call me when it's time to pick you up."

"Okay," I said.

When I arrived at Hyuuga Manor, everybody was already gathered at the front gate.

"So these are your friends, Saku-Peary," she said as she gazed at them. She absentmindedly turned off the engine and got out of the car despite my protests.

I didn't want to be there when my mom embarrassed herself and me, but then again, I might be able to stop her if I was present.

So I reluctantly got out of the vehicle too, and walked over to them.

"Sakura-chan!" Hinata-chan cried out with joy, walking over to me and giving me a hug.

She looked stunning in a black ballroom gown-style dress.

I was too busy focusing on my mom to notice that Kiba was staring at my best friend like a zombie and two other someone's were staring at me.

"Is this Hinata?" my mom asked.

I sighed, and let go of Hinata-chan. "Yes."

"I'm Saku-Peary's mother," she said while bowing respectively. "Thank you for taking care of my baby girl for all of this time, all of you."

Hinata-chan bowed in response. "It's been my pleasure," she said.

My mom suddenly hugged her in a huge squeeze. "My God, sweetie, you are so cute!" she exclaimed.

Hinata-chan turned scarlet.

I pulled my mom off of Hinata-chan and said, "Don't kill her."

"Oh, I'm sorry," said mom. "I guess I'll go now since you obviously want your poor, hard worked mother to leave." She began sobbing into her hands.

Everyone looked shocked and awkward at this sudden outburst.

"That's correct," I said.

Mom uncovered her hands and turned to me. "Saku-Peary~!" she pouted. "You're making mommy feel lonely."

"I'm sorry," I replied in a monotone.

"Bye!" she said, beaming wildly. And with that, she left.

A maid lead us into the ballroom, (yes, they have a ballroom) where the dinner party was taking place. Several tables were scattered here and there, never entering the space obviously meant for (dare I think about it?) fancy ballroom dancing.

Hinata-chan opened my present before the party officially began.

"Oh, Sakura, I love it!" she said happily, gazing at the butterfly necklace I'd bought for her. "Thank you!" She hugged me.

We all sat at a table and commented on each other's clothes (actually, we all listened while Ino commented on our clothes), laughing, and doing what normal teenagers do in this kind of situation; gawk at all of the expensive/fancy stuff.

But even though I was laughing and gawking right along with them, my thoughts weren't on the party anymore.

They were in the place where I always told myself not to go, and always went to anyways.

Ever since mom had brought out the necklace, I'd been thinking about him. I couldn't help it. I couldn't forget him. Never.

"_Sakura," Sasuke-kun said in that deep, beautiful voice of his. "Why did you come?"_

_I shifted around awkwardly in my dress. "Because…I was invited, so…," I kept looking down, never meeting his eyes._

"_I thought you said you weren't coming," I heard him say. He mimicked me in a high-pitched, whiney voice. "'Sasuke-kun! I hate you! I'm not going to your birthday party anymore! Die, you Popsicle!' is what you said."_

_I finally chanced a look into his eyes. Dark onyx circles, mesmerizing as they were, they were cold. Chambers of ice I would never survive._

"_W-well," I said, my voice rising in anger. "Sorry! But I really was angry at you! How could you have said something like that to Gaara?! What did he ever do to you?! He's always nice to people, and there you were, being so mean to him! I won't forgive you for that!"_

_I wasn't looking away from his eyes anymore, despite their iciness. I bored into them, searching for some hint of guilt. But, no. He never showed any of the emotions he was feeling. As expected of the Popsicle._

_His hard expression softened a bit. "You don't have to forgive me."_

_I smiled. "Friends?"_

"_Friends," he nodded. "Dobe."_

"_Damn you, SASUKE-KUN!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. He laughed and ran, and I chased him, smiling. _

_This is how it should be, I thought. This should never change. _

_As the sun set, we settled down at his dining room table and sang Happy Birthday, then watched him blow all ten candles stuck into the icing out in one go. We clapped, and dug into our slices of cake. _

"_What did you wish for?" I asked him, spearing my entire slice onto the fork. I'd never been one for manners when it came to chocolate cake._

_He stared at me for a while, for so long that I didn't think he'd answer, but then he said, "It's a secret. I bet you can't eat as much cake as I can!"_

"_Interesting," I said, grinning. "Alright, then. Let's go!"_

_Sasuke-kun and I had our cake-eating contest, and of course, he won. _

_I burped and giggled, happily stuffed with cake._

"_Happy birthday, Sasuke-kun," I said. His parents and older brother, Itachi, all smiled._

"_Thanks," he said._

Naruto's POV

Sakura-chan looked great tonight. That was all I could think about until about half an hour after she arrived. That's when I started noticing some thing about her, rather than what I saw.

Something that I've noticed about Sakura-chan is that she spaces out a lot. Especially when we're all together. It doesn't happen when it's just two or three of us (including her and me).

I couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking about. She just wasn't someone who you could read. Sakura-chan was too guarded for me to understand her way of thinking. She was complicated. It wasn't a good thing, but it wasn't a bad thing, either.

Of course, there are other things about Sakura-chan that I've wondered about, too. Like her hair. Is it really natural? And her eye patch. Why did she wear it? When did she start needing one? And why wouldn't she ever invite us over to her house? But for the most part, I thought that her thoughts seemed harder to guess.

_I guess she's just a person full of mysteries,_ I thought.

The dinner party began, and we all got to get food. Sakura-chan only got a glass of water filled to the bring with ice. _Someone_ was going to get a brain freeze.

"Aren't you hungry, Sakura-chan?" I asked her.

She shook her head. "I guess I just don't have much of an appetite today," she said.

Well, her appetite had seemed perfectly fine at the mall. She ate two tacos from Taco Bell, for ramen's sake.

_Well, no wonder she isn't hungry. She must be stuffed,_ I concluded.

Once everybody had gotten food and sat down, Hinata's dad stood up and did all of that formal talk you're expected to do at a fancy party.

Hinata walked up to the front, and he announced her as the Hyuuga heiress. We all clapped, and dug in. Hinata had to eat with her dad.

Later, people got up to talk and dance. Neji and Tenten got together, and Ino threatened Shikamaru into dancing with her, too.

_Poor guy,_ I thought.

Sakura-chan just sat and watched them go onto the dance floor.

I decided to ask her to dance, and I was walking towards her, but-

"N-Naruto-kun!" said a familiar voice.

I turned to see Hinata standing there, red in the face (did she have a fever?).

I smiled at her.

"What is it, Hinata?" I asked.

"W-" she stopped and tried again. "W-would you like to dance with me, Naruto-kun?"

I looked at Sakura-chan one more time. She was watching Shikamaru and Ino waltz awkwardly with each other.

Hinata looked at Sakura-chan too.

"Alright," I agreed. "Let's dance."

I offered her my arm, and she took it, beaming.

Sakura's POV

When Hinata-chan asked Naruto to dance, I could tell he'd looked at me. I pretended to pay attention to Shikamaru and Ino to try and push him in the right direction.

_Dance with her, Naruto!_ I thought. _She loves you so much! Come on, do it!_

Luckily, he did.

I watched the two sweep onto the dance floor with everybody else.

A/N: That's the end of Chapter 10! Wow! 0.0 Double-digits already! 0.0 Well, anyways, hope you guys liked it! Please review! Because I like reviews! I'll give you a tart~! +.+ Yes, that's right! Come to the Tart Side!


	11. Chapter 11

Listen to My Story

Chapter 11: A Tipsy Situation.

Sakura's POV

I watched Hinata-chan gracefully sweeping across the dance floor, accompanied by a somewhat clumsy Naruto. She smiled happily at him, and he smiled back.

_Isn't it great, Hinata?_ I thought.

"Sakura-san," someone behind me said.

I turned to face him.

"Lee," I said. "What is it?"

Lee, who was wearing black tucks with a white flower tucked into his front pocket, stared at me with determined eyes. His cheeks were slightly flushed.

"Youthful Sakura-san!" he said. "Please honor me with a dance!" He bowed.

_It can't hurt,_ I thought.

**Inner me: It can if he's anything like his lunatic older clone.**

"Alright, then," I agreed. I stood up, and took the hand he had offered me.

The two of us walked onto the dance floor together.

I shivered involuntarily.

_It feels like someone's watching me._

**Inner me: Rich guys are still guys, I guess.**

I've never ballroom danced before, but it seemed simple enough. I knew basically where you're supposed to put your hands, so it wasn't too bad. I got the hang of it, moving a bit awkwardly but still on the beat.

After a while, he led me to a table for a break.

"S-Sakura-san!" Lee said suddenly, stopping. I stopped too. His face was beet red, and he was standing straight upright, like a soldier.

"Y-yes?" I answered, feeling a bit bemused by his formality.

A few people who were dancing stopped to stare, including Ino and Naruto.

Lee bowed. "I like you, Sakura-san! Please go out with me!"

**Inner me: Tart. Didn't see that coming.**

I felt my face heat up.

_What am I supposed to say? I'm not used to this kind of thing…._

"Lee…," I said.

He looked up at me, his back still parallel to the floor.

"I like you!" he repeated. "I like you! You're beautiful and unique! I've never met anyone like you before!"

**Inner me: I like this kid.**

"I-I…I don't know what to say," I said, feeling extremely awkward.

Lee stood up straight again. "For now, you don't have to say anything," he told me. His eyes were gentle. "But please, think about it. I'll go get us some drinks."

He left.

Ino and Tenten walked over to me.

"Wow," Tenten said, staring at me. "Lee's never confessed to anybody before. I would know; I've known him since we were five. He must really like you, Sakura."

This only made me feel worse. The truth was, I'd only ever seen Lee as a friend. Nothing more.

Ino giggled. "I never thought that he'd like the pirate-type," she said.

"Ino!" Tenten said.

"Well, it's true," Ino said defensively.

Lee walked over. "Here, Sakura-san," he said. He handed me a glass full of dark red juice. I took it.

"Thanks, Lee," I said.

I drank it. All in one go.

**Inner me: Heheh…this stuff is good! HELL YEAH! MORE!**

"Lee, where can I find more of this?" I asked, licking my lips.

Lee smiled happily. "I could go get some more, if you like," he offered.

I smiled. The other three looked shock at my change of expression. "Thank you."

Lee practically bounced all the way to the refreshment table.

I sat down at a nearby empty table, and Tenten and Ino joined me.

In less than five minutes, Lee walked over.

Tenten and Ino stared. So did half of the room.

He was balancing two platters full of glasses, all with the dark red liquid inside of it.

**Inner me: NOW, THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!!!!!!!!!!! HELL YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

I thanked Lee and drank one after another, draining each to the very last drops.

Lee seemed ecstatic that he'd found something I liked so much.

_That's funny…,_ I thought. _I feel weird…._

**Inner me: MMMMMOOOOOOREEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!**

I giggled. Tenten and Ino's faces came in and out of focus, each with an expression that made it seem like Hitler had come back to life and WWIII was starting. Even Lee was starting to worry.

"Maybe she needs to go to the bathroom?" he wondered out loud.

"Who needs to go to the bathroom…?" I asked. I felt light headed and giddy; something that hadn't happened for years. "Hinata-chan, I'll go with you…eheehee~!"

Naruto's POV

At about 9:00 PM, Hinata and I stopped dancing and spotted something weird. Shikamaru, Neji, Kiba, Shino, Chouji, Ino, and Tenten were all gathered around a table, completely blocking it from view. Hinata and I walked in their direction.

"Hey, guys!" I shouted. Their heads turned. "What's up?"

"Hey, Naruto," said Kiba. "Come over here! She's acting funny…."

"Who is?" I wondered. I walked over and saw just who.

"Sakura-chan!" Hinata cried out, rushing over to her friend.

Sakura-chan was laying down on the floor, using fuzzy-eyebrows as a pillow.

_Damn him…!_ I thought angrily.

But then I noticed her behavior was…very un-Sakura-chan-ish. She was rolling around, giggling girlishly. Her face was flushed tremendously, and her eye would occasionally open from time to time.

"HELL YEAH!" she yelled suddenly.

When she saw me, Sakura-chan got up and walked over to me. Her eye looked oddly hazed.

"Sa…," she swallowed. Did she think I was a ghost or something? "Sa…Sasu...." Whatever she was trying to say, she couldn't seem to get it out of her mouth. "…-kun…." She suddenly collapsed, her head digging into my gut.

I held her up with one arm and clutched my middle with another.

"At least she didn't go any lower than that," Kiba said.

Somebody gasped.

Hinata was staring at a huge collection of empty wine glasses filling up the table. "Who on earth…," she murmured. And then it clicked.

"Don't tell me…Sakura-chan drank all of those?" I asked.

Lee nodded. "But it's just juice, so she'll be-"

"Lee," I said slowly. "That wasn't juice."  
Hinata said, "That was wine."

Lee looked dumbstruck. "YOUTHFUL PANTS!" he exclaimed. "Wine?! As in wine, with alcohol?!?!?!"

Hinata nodded.

After looking shocked for a few seconds, Lee's face spread into a bashful grin. "A youthful OOPSIES!"

Hinata called Sakura-chan's mom, being the only one who knew her home number.

"S-she's on her way," she told us, flipping the phone shut.

Fifteen minutes later, Sakura-chan's mom was flying through the door.

"SAKU-PEARY~!" she called dramatically as she ran, her arms outstretched as if getting ready to embrace me (who was still supporting Sakura-chan.). Halfway through her heart-filled running scene, her voice became angry and deeper. "SSSSSAAAAAAAAAAAKKUUUUU-PEAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" she shrieked angrily, trampling over anyone who got in her way.

"Why is everybody so scary?!" Kiba cried, ducking beneath the spotless white table cloth.

She reached her daughter in seconds, grabbed her by the shoulders, and started shaking her vigorously. It looked a lot like Sakura-chan was on vibrate.

"HOW DARE YOU DRINK ALCOHOL AND GET DRUNK AT A DINNER PARTY?!?!?!" her mom screeched. All of the glasses shattered.

She turned to me, making me recoil.

"You're Naruto, aren't you, sweetie?" she asked. I nodded warily. "Would you be a dear and come home with us? I need somebody to help carry her," she explained.

I nodded.

"Thank you, Naru-chan!" she said.

"Naru-chan?" Chouji sniggered.

"Shut up," I mumbled.

I picked Sakura-chan up and said goodbye to everybody before leaving.

The truth was, I'd been to Sakura-chan's house once before, when I'd helped her carry groceries home. But I'd forgotten where she lived, and she'd never exactly made a point of telling me. Or anyone else, for that matter. Not even Hinata.

So it felt kind of weird to be in this situation. But here I was, brining the unconscious Sakura-chan upstairs into her house.

Her mom told me where the room was and called her husband, apparently letting him know what had happened. I opened the door.

Sakura-chan's room really showed a lot of her personality in it. And that's pretty much all I can say about it.

I laid her down on her bed.

I decided to take a quick look around her room before leaving. There wasn't a T.V. or a computer anywhere in sight. The only visible source of entertainment was a huge bookshelf.

And so instead, I looked at the photos.

There was one frame standing on her bedside table. She (looking much younger) and her mom were both there, standing with a man that was probably her dad. They were all smiling. The thing that surprised me most was that Sakura-chan wasn't wearing her black eye patch. Both of her eyes were completely visible, just like any normal person's.

I looked around, but there was only one more picture frame in the room. At first, I hadn't noticed it, but after looking carefully I'd seen it sitting on her desk. I walked over and examined it.

Sakura-chan looked like she was about six or seven, and she was smiling happily just like she had been with her parents. But in this picture, there was only one person standing with her.

It was a boy.

He looked around the same age as her, but apart from that they looked nothing alike. He wasn't smiling. His hair was a dark raven-black, and his eyes were like onyxes; hard and impenetrable. He was a little smaller than her, and skinny, too. A pretty boy, through and through.

_Probably just her friend from back home, _I thought.

I walked back to Sakura-chan and sat on the bed side.

"Hey, Sakura-chan?" I said.

There was no reply.

"Who was that guy in the picture?" I asked.

Silence. Well, no surprise there.

"Hey, Sakura-chan…why do you wear your eye patch? Why do you always seem so distant from all of us? Somehow it always seems like your mind is somewhere else. Even when you're right next to us…," I told her.

"Do you miss your old town that much? Was it nice there? I bet you miss that pretty boy who was in the picture…."

I turned to face her. "Why-" but I stopped mid-sentence.

What was that? Something was poking out from under her pillow….

I grabbed it, and pulled it out.

I was holding a wooden…something. What was it? I couldn't tell. But it was about twenty inches long, red, and it had been decorated professionally with pink cherry blossoms. It looked elegant, but somehow eerie.

I grabbed the top, and part of it moved. After closer examination, I could see that there was a handle about six inches long. I pulled and out came….

My eyes widened.

What was Sakura-chan doing with a dagger under her pillow?

A/N: A dramatic chapter! I hope you guys liked it.^^ Please let me know if you did or didn't in a review~! XD Anyways, that's the end of Chapter 11. Yeah, it was kinda long. Hope you guys didn't mind. :] Well, see you next chapter!^^


	12. Chapter 12

Listen to My Story

Chapter 12: Sakura's Talent.

Sakura's POV

I don't remember when I fell asleep (or why, for that matter), but could tell that I was dreaming. It wasn't my usual nightmare this time, but a pleasant memory from the past.

Even now, so many years later, I still remember when I met him. We were both seven years old.

_I walked behind my mom, wondering where she was taking me. _

"_Saku-Peary," she'd said right before we had left the house. "Mommy wants to go for a walk. Why don't you come with me?"_

_I'd nodded, not wanting to be left alone with my dad inside of the house. He was barely ever home from work, and so being alone with him felt like being alone with a stranger. _

_We stopped in front of a café. Living in the city, there were lots of cafés around (along with a lot of other places like convenience stores and book shops and restaurants). This one was particularly crowded._

_We walked in together, with me still walking timidly behind her. _

_Don't get me wrong, though. I wasn't actually timid at all; just in front of strangers. _

_We sat down at a table for four, and ten minutes later, two people joined us. _

"_Suki!" one of the people, a woman about my mom's age, said. Suki was my mom's name. Clearly, they weren't strangers. _

"_Mikoto!" my mom cried out happily. "Oh, God, I haven't seen you in ages!"_

_I stared at Mikoto, who had dark hair and warm onyx eyes. She seemed nice enough._

"_This is my baby girl, Sakura," my mom introduced me to the lady. "Saku-Peary, this is Mikoto Uchiha. She was my best friend back in high school."_

"_Hello, sweetheart," Mrs. Uchiha said as she extended her hand._

"_Hi," I said. I took hers and we shook._

"_This is my son, Sasuke," Mrs. Uchiha said. "Come on, Sasuke. Say hi to Mrs. Haruno."_

_For the first time, my attention was drawn to the person who'd been following her. He was shorter than me, and had a skinny frame. His hair, eyes, and face were all like his mother's (except for the fact his hair was shorter). _

_But his eyes weren't nearly as warm as her's. They were cold, untrusting. _

_He stuck out his tongue. _

_I flared up in anger._

What a jerk!_ I thought._

"_Hey!" I shouted at him. People in the café glanced at us, then returned to their business. "Don't stick your tongue out at me, you shorty!" I snarled. _

_He looked surprised. So did Mrs. Uchiha. _

"_That's my girl~!" mom said proudly._

_Sasuke-kun recovered. "I can stick my tongue out at who I want, dobe!" he retorted, smirking._

"_Well, I can too!" I stuck my tongue out at him._

_He punched me. _

_I winced and tears welled up in my eyes, but I held them back and punched him. _

_Mrs. Uchiha grabbed Sasuke-kun and my mom grabbed me. _

"_Now, now," she told me. "That's enough, honey. Remember what mommy told you? You're not aloud to punch boys indoors. Only outside." _

_Mrs. Uchiha laughed, still holding onto her son. "You're the same as ever, Suki!"_

"_So are you, Mikoto," mom said, smiling._

_The adults ordered coffee for themselves and hot chocolate and cookies for me and Sasuke-kun._

_While Mrs. Uchiha and mom caught up, Sasuke-kun and I glared daggers at each other over our cookies._

"_Dobe," he muttered. _

"_Popsicle," I whispered back. Popsicle seemed fitting of him. He was cold._

_And so the nicknames were born._

When I opened my eyes, I felt nauseous. I got up and rushed to the bathroom, without noticing the person who had been sitting on my bed. When I'd finished up, I went back into my room.

_I feel kinda weird…_, I thought,_ running a hand through my hair._

That's when I noticed him.

_Naruto? Why is he here?_

He had obviously been sitting on my bed, but he was now laying down on it with his feet on the bedroom's floor.

**Inner me: What you should be wondering is why are **_**we**_** here. We should be at the party.**

_That's right! Hinata-chan's fancy birthday party!_

I dug inside of my memory for a clue as to why this happened. It was fuzzy, but I recalled drinking juice…lots and lots of juice….

I checked my clock.

_A quarter past midnight?! _

**Inner me: I guess that means there's no chance of having any more juice?**

_The party's probably over, so I don't think so._

**Inner me: But it was so good!**

_It seems kind of suspicious, though…._

**Inner me: Don't be stupid, Sakura! There's no way that something that good would be suspicious, DAMMIT!**

_Whatever you say…._

Inner me giggled.

_What the hell…._

**Inner me: DON'T YOU SAY 'WHAT THE HELL' TO ME, TART! **

_I just did._

**Inner me: DAMN YOU, SAKURA!!!!!!!!!!!! **

She giggled again.

Naruto began stirring. I looked at him.

Why _was_ he here?

"Sakura-chan…," he said groggily, opening his eyes a puny bit. "What time is it?"

"About twelve fifteen," I answered him. "Naruto, why are you here? Why am I here?"

He didn't get up, but his eyes opened wider. "You don't remember?" he asked.

I shook my head.

"Well, you went unconscious after drinking a lot of wine, and-"

"Wait," I stopped him. "That wasn't juice?"

**Inner me: Oh, tart….**

"No," Naruto said, looking at me warily. "It was wine…. Anyways, you acted weird for a while," he stifled a laugh. "Sorry, but it was funny. After a bit, you went unconscious. Hinata called your mom and she came over to pick you up. Then she asked me to help carry you."

"Okay…," I said, taking it all in.

_Told you,_ I thought.

**Inner me: WATCH WHAT YOU SAY TO YOUR ELDERS, DAMMIT SAKURA!!!!!!!!!!!!! **

_Elder?_ You_? We're the same person, idiot._

**Inner me: I AM NOT AN IDIOT! I'M JUST PLEASANTLY STUPID!**

_What the hell…._

**Inner me: WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT SAYING THAT?!?!?!?! DIVINE PUNISHMENT…!**

Nothing happened.

Naruto's POV

I'd been holding the dagger in my hands when Sakura-chan had started moving. She was walking up.

I quickly slipped the dagger under her pillow while trying not to wake her up, and flopped onto her bead as if I was asleep.

She'd woke up and rushed off to the bathroom, with her hand over her mouth.

I pretended to wake up and explained to her about what had happened at the party.

_No wonder she drank all of that wine,_ I thought. _She thought it was _juice.

"Okay," she said.

After a while of silence, I said, "I'd better go home now."

"NO!" she screamed.

After seeing my face, she looked apologetic.

"I mean," she said more quietly. "It's late. You should spend the night. But!" she added. "I'm not letting you sleep in my room. You can use the couch."

I nodded and followed her to her living room. It was your average (unlike her bedroom) living room with couches, a T.V., and a coffee table.

I sat on the biggest one, and she brought me some blankets and a pillow.

"You can watch T.V. if you want. Just keep it down, okay?" she told me as she fluffed the pillows and spread out blankets on the couch.

"Sakura-chan," I said after a pause. She looked up. "You're actually pretty nice, aren't you?"

Was it me or did her face look pink?

"A-anyways, if you need anything, I'll be sleeping in my room. Don't bug me if it's not important."

I nodded and she went upstairs after grabbing an ice pack from the kitchen.

I settled in on the make shift bed.

_Why does Sakura-chan have a dagger under her pillow?_ I wondered again. I couldn't stop thinking about it ever since I'd found out what it was.

Sakura's POV

I woke up early, feeling the effects of what I now knew was alcohol (not innocent juice).

I took a cold shower, and it helped a bit.

I only remembered Naruto after I'd finished changing. I rushed downstairs.

He was sound asleep on the couch, snoring.

_He's still here...._

I wonder why I was feeling so relieved?

Naruto's POV

I woke up to the worst on Sakura-chan's couch to a horrible smell.

_What's burning?_

I rushed to the kitchen and found something both funny and shocking.

Sakura-chan was standing over a frying pan at the stove, 'cooking'.

"Let's see…after this, we put that in…," she muttered, checking a cookbook sitting open on a counter.

I walked over to the frying pan and found…something. I'm not sure _what_ it was, but it was definitely something.

The something was black and lumpy (kinda like tar), spread around the entire thing, bubbling sluggishly in the pan.

"Um, Sakura-chan?" I asked.

She whipped around faster than I could say ramen. "Naruto!" she exclaimed, looking startled.

"What are you making?" I asked.

"What are you talking about? Isn't it obvious?" she asked, turning back to her cook book. "It's an omelet."

I looked back at the tar-like thing in the pan.

_Mommy…save me…!_

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Of course I am!" Sakura-chan said, without turning. "Do you think I couldn't take a bit of alcohol?"

"Oh, sorry, Sakura-chan!" I apologized. "I was talking to the omelet!"

Smack!

"Ouch!" I exclaimed, holding my head.

A/N: I hope we all learned something today: never trust Sakura with a frying pan. Anyways, that's the end of Chapter 12! Thanks for reading!^^ Please review.


	13. Chapter 13

Listen to My Story

Chapter 13: Why, Why, Why?!

Sakura's POV

I hit Naruto with the frying pan that I was using to cook the omelet. A few chunks fell onto the floor. (A/N: **WARNING!**: Kids, adults, or whatever you are, don't try this at home.)

"Ouch!" he said, holding his head.

**Inner me: Well, he deserved it.**

_Hell yeah, he does,_ I thought back. _Here I am, going through the trouble of cooking especially for him, and he asks the omelet if it's alright!_

**Inner me: I guess, you have to admit it's a little-**

_Shut up._

"Alright," I said. "If you can do better, show me."

I told Naruto where this and that was when he asked, watching him work.

By the time mom was coming downstairs, rubbing her eyes, his work had been completed.

"Oh, Saku-Peary!" mom exclaimed, staring at the steaming bowl of ramen sitting on the middle of the table. "I didn't know you could make such wonderful ramen! I mean, last time you cooked, you almost killed-"

"I-didn't-make-it," I managed to grind out of my gritted teeth.

"Naru-chan? You made it?" my mom asked, staring at Naruto.

Naruto scratched the back of his neck. "It was nothing. It's a thanks for letting me sleep over," he explained.

"I was doing just fine when he interrupted me," I muttered, serving myself some ramen into a bowl.

My mom laughed. "Don't mind her, Naru-chan," she told him. "Saku-Peary hates losing."

"What do you mean, I lost?" I asked her, my voice sounding loud in my ears. The alcohol was still effecting me a bit, I guess.

"You always lose when you cook~!" mom said cheerfully. She sat down. "Normally I only drink coffee in the morning, but I guess today will be an exception. We can't waste such delicious-looking ramen, can we?"

**Inner me: I bet it tastes like cow-**

I snapped my chopsticks apart loudly, and grabbed some noodles with them. After blowing on it carefully, I slurped one.

_Y-yummy…._

"I've tasted better," I said.

Naruto just grinned like normal, and mom laughed.

I ate while mom and Naruto talked. When we finished, Naruto said it was time for him to go and left.

For once, I didn't feel much like reading.

_Let's go for a walk,_ I thought.

**Inner me: Alright. As long as I don't have to move.**

Rolling my eyes, I headed out of the door.

In the afternoon, Hinata-chan called and asked how I was feeling. I told her that I was fine, and she hung up so she could tell the others.

At school, the next day, I walked in like normal. Everyone else acted normal, too. Except for Naruto.

Naruto, stupidly cheerful, hyperactive, ramen crazy Naruto was acting different.

Either he'd found out that the world was coming to an end or he'd finally caused the ramen supply in Konoha to drop to dead zero. Either way, it wasn't good news to him.

During lunch, Lee brought this up.

"Naruto-kun," Lee said. "Where is your normal youthfulness?"

Naruto smiled. "What are you talking about, Lee? I'm as…uh, youthful as ever."

Lee's thick black eyebrows furrowed. "No," he disagreed. "You're not."

Naruto shrugged.

"That's not an answer," Lee told him.

Naruto sighed. "What answer do you want me to give?" he asked a bit exasperatedly.

"The truth," he answered bluntly.

Naruto's POV

On Monday, Sakura-chan pretended that she'd never been drunk. And everyone else did the same, making it seem like she'd only left the party early for no reason.

Because we were pretending that she'd never been drunk, that meant that Sakura-chan and I also had to pretend that we hadn't been sleeping under the same roof for a whole night.

So we all acted just normal. Or at least, I thought I did.

But how am I supposed to act normal after seeing what I did that night?

I'd thought that by being in her house, that I'd finally get to solve some of her mysteries, like her hair and her eye patch. But the visit had only added more.

Why did she have something like _that_ stashed under her pillow? Did her mom even know about it? And even though it didn't seem important, I couldn't help but wonder who that kid in the photo was.

Anyways, I found out at lunch that I wasn't doing a good job of hiding my thoughts. I have to admit that I was a bit surprised when Lee asked me where my 'normal youthfulness' had gone.

"What are you talking about, Lee? I'm…uh, as youthful as ever."

"No, you're not," he said.

I shrugged.

"That's not an answer," Lee informed me.

_What did he want me to say?! That I'd found out Sakura-chan was hiding a dagger in her bed?_

I sighed. "What answer do you want me to give?"

"The truth," he replied.

The truth. How the hell was I supposed to tell him what I didn't know?

I noticed Sakura-chan's eye focused on me.

"Thanks for worrying about me, Lee, really," I said. "But nothing's wrong."

"…Alright," he gave in.

"By the way," Kiba said in whispered tones. "Is it true you asked Sakura out?"

Lee went crimson.

Kiba laughed. It sounded like a bark. "I'll take that as a yes," he chuckled. "And?"

"And what?" Lee asked.

"What was her answer?" he said.

Lee avoided his gaze. "She…hasn't given it yet."

Kiba grumbled.

For some reason I was kind of happy.

Lunch ended, just like it always had. The day moved on, like normal. But today, I'd resolved to do something that I'd never would've thought I'd do.

Sakura's POV

The last bell rang, and I was about to walk home, but Naruto stopped me.

"Sakura-chan," he said, grinning stupidly again.

"What?" I asked, adjusting my bag on my shoulder.

"Can I walk you home?" he asked.

**Inner me: Oh, look. Lee's looking over here! Tart…that guy looks unyouthfully angry for once. He must be jealous. I mean, he **_**did**_** confess his love to you, didn't he?**

_Oh my god! I completely forgot!_

**Inner me: …Poor guy.**

_Well, I have a good excuse,_ I retorted. _I drank a ton of wine, got drunk, and woke up with Naruto sleeping on my bed._

**Inner me: I bet you liked that, didn't you? **

…_That's not funny. _

**Inner me: You're right. I'm sorry.**

_It's okay._

"Why?" I finally asked Naruto.

He looked surprised, as if he'd been expecting me to say yes immediately. Which he probably was.

"Because I want to," was all he answered.

"No," I said, completely tonelessly.

_I'm not going to give him special treatment just because he's been to my house twice._

**Inner me: 'Special treatment'…? What are your friends to you, dogs?**

"Why?" It was his turn to say it this time.

"Because, I don't want you to," I told him.

"Come on, Sakura-chan!" he pleaded. "Please?"

He gave me the puppy dog eyes. Too bad for him, I'm prone to the puppy dog eyes.

"No."

He sighed. "I didn't want to have to resort to this, but…," he leaned closer to my ear and whispered, "I'll tell them where you live."

_Blackmail?! _

**Inner me: How indecent of him! Because, it's not as if we've ever done anything-**

_Shut up,_ I interrupted her sarcastic comment.

My eye narrowed.

"Fine," I hissed back.

He smiled more broadly, satisfied.

Lee ran over to us as we began walking.

"Me, too…!" he said. "I'll go too!"

"Th-th-th-th-then, m-me too!" Hinata-chan said, going red.

I smiled when she came. Somehow, I felt more comfortable that a fellow female (preferably Hinata-chan) was going, too.

We decided to get some ice cream, so we all walked to the nearest Dairy Queen.

Naruto's POV

_Why isn't this going as planned? Why, why, why?!_

I sat there, eating my blizzard with the rest at a table.

Sakura-chan hadn't seemed happy when Lee volunteered to come, but something about her…I don't know, atmosphere(?) changed the millisecond Hinata had said she would come.

Why was Hinata always the one who made Sakura-chan happiest? Why couldn't it be _me_?!

Sakura's POV

**Inner me: Somehow, doesn't it look like Naruto's sulking?**

I looked at him.

_Yeah…,_ I said, a bit surprised. _You're right._

"Hey, Naruto!" I said. "Is it bad?"

"Yeah," he answered. "It's bad."

A/N: Here's the end of Chapter 13. Lee's confession was forgotten (poor Lee), Hinata suddenly feels the urge to come along with Sakura and Naruto when they were supposed to be alone, and Naruto's feeling jealous~!^^ Why did Naruto want to walk Sakura home? Keep an eye out for the next chapter to find out. XD Please Review! And to all of my reviewers, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	14. Chapter 14

Listen to My Story

Chapter 14: What Will Your Answer Be?

Sakura's POV

We left when we'd finished our ice creams. As we were walking and talking, something unexpected happened.

"Sakura-san," Lee said.

"Yes?" I asked, surprised by his sudden seriousness.

"Could I have a private word with you?"

**Inner me: I bet he's going to ask you what your answer is.**

_What my answer for what is?_

**Inner me: …Poor guy.**

_What?_

**Inner me: You'll see.**

I nodded, and he took me about twenty steps from Naruto and Hinata-chan, who were both looking at us curiously.

"W-what's your answer?" Lee asked me.

**Inner me: I told you so!**

_What's my answer for what?_

**Inner me: Duh! His confession!**

_Oh…._

I didn't answer right away. Lee was a youthful idiot, no denying it. But he was a nice youthful idiot, one who was obviously caring. And it would probably be good for me to get my mind off of…things. To try and forget once and for all. But….

"I'm sorry, Lee," I told him.

His face began to get red and blotchy. His big round eyes were so sad, I almost considered taking it back. Almost.

I tentatively touched his shoulder. "I don't deserve you," I told him. "I…I'm not good enough for you, Lee." He looked surprised. But it was true. "There are much better people out there that would be so much better for you. And besides…, I…."

"You already have somebody?" he asked, looking sad again. He looked just like an abandoned child, all alone.

I nodded.

"Is it…is it Naruto?" he asked.

I was completely and utterly shocked. Of all people for someone to think I'd like, Naruto…?! Idiotic, clumsy, ramen-loving, nice, and kind of cute…oh, what was I saying?!

**Inner me: Heh…? Someone's got a crush on Naruto?**

_Stop. Just stop._

**Inner me: …Sorry.**

"No," I told him flatly. "You don't know him."

Lee nodded.

"I really am sorry," I told him more softly.

I looked at his eyes again. They were beginning to fill with tears.

"Don't cry, Lee," I told him. "Please?"

He nodded, looked down, and wiped his eyes. "Since it is Sakura-san's wish...."

_How am I supposed to answer him?_

**Inner me: Don't ask me.**

"By the way, Lee?"

He looked at me again.

"Why did you like me?" I asked him. "I can't see it…why would you want a girl with an eye patch and pink hair? Why not Ino, who's girly? Or Tenten, who's a tomboy? Or Hinata-chan, who's cute, sweet, beautiful, graceful, gentle, admira-"

Lee interrupted me, smiling a bit. "I don't know," he said. "I can't chose who I like. It just happens."

With that, he walked back to Naruto and Hinata-chan. I followed him.

Lee was putting on a brave smile, and saying goodbye to them.

"I have to get home now," he told them. "Bye!" he dashed off.

"Hey, Sakura-chan?" Naruto looked at me as the three of us continued walking.

"Yes?"

"Why'd you turn him down?"

I was shocked. How did he know?! Had he heard us?

"How did you…?" I trailed off.

"It was pretty obvious," he answered. Hinata-chan nodded shyly in agreement.

"Because," I said. "He doesn't deserve someone like me."

Both of them opened their mouth to protest, but I beat them to it.

"And besides…," I said quietly. "Lee isn't the one I like."

"Who is it?" Naruto asked eagerly.

I hit him across the head.

"None of your business, Ramen Boy!"

"Sakura-chan…!" he wined. "That's mean!"

"Your skull's thick, so there's nothing to worry about."

"I-it's not!"

Naruto and I both turned to Hinata-chan in surprise. She was blushing crimson, but her face was serious.

"N-N-Naruto-kun isn't a stupid idiot who's skull is so thick that even a drill can't reach the bottom!" she said. "H-he's very intelligent!"

_I never said that…._

**Inner me: She's kinda reminding me of Ed.**

Naruto looked gloomy.

"I know, Hinata-chan," I assured her.

She breathed hard, and then eased. "I'm sorry," she apologized.

"It's fine," I grinned.

Hinata-chan left not long after that because of her curfew, leaving Naruto and me alone.

When we reached my doorstep, his look went from grin to grim.

"Naruto?" I asked uncertainly.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto said. "I've got some things to ask you."

"Like what?"

**Inner me: Another confession?!**

_Don't blow it out of proportion._

"Sakura-chan," Naruto took a deep breath. "Why was there a dagger under your pillow?"

Naruto's POV

I stepped onto Sakura-chan's doorstep.

_This is it!_ I told myself. _It's now or never!_

"Naruto?" she asked me, the question a mixture of uncertainty and wariness.

"Sakura-chan," I said. "I've got some things to ask you."

"Like what?"

"Sakura-chan," I took a deep breath. I needed to be calm. "Why was there a dagger under your pillow?"

Sakura-chan's expression went from wary to shocked. I could tell immediately that it was something she _really_ didn't want people to know about.

"You saw it?!" she asked. Her voice was hoarse.

I nodded.

She dropped her bags onto the porch and grabbed the front of my shirt. "Did you tell anyone?!" she hissed. "Does anyone else besides you know?! Answer me, Naruto!"

Somehow...at that time, Sakura-chan seemed like a different person. Her eye was suddenly looked so much…older. Not wrinkled, but older. As if it had seen a lot of things it shouldn't have.

My immediate thought was something I never would've imagined I'd be thinking in this millennia.

_She's scarier than Ino._

Sakura's POV

"No," he answered. "No one else knows but me."

I relaxed and let go of him.

"Sakura-chan, why do you wear that eye patch? Why is your hair pink? Who was that boy in the photo in your bedroom?"

I froze.

**Inner me: Oh, tart. Someone's in trouble….**

I defrosted and turned my back to him.

"Leave," I told him quietly. My voice had reverted to its original emotionless state.

"I'll leave," he told me. "I'll be waiting on the roof when school's over. I'll be waiting, so make sure you come. Then, you can answer my questions."

He left.

A/N: Another dramatic chapter! XD What'll happen? Will you ever find out? Will I post a chapter after this? All are mysteries! Wait and find out! XD Please review~!^^


	15. Chapter 15

Listen to My Story

Chapter 15: The Clock is Always Ticking.

Naruto's POV

When I got home, I flopped onto my bed.

_I wonder if she's angry…._

I remembered how she'd reacted to everything I'd said. Her anger, then shock…it was unnerving the way she'd just reverted back to looking emotionless.

_Should I regret it?_ I wondered. _After today, it probably won't ever be the same as it was before…._

But I'd already thought about this. And the fact that I'd done it anyways answered my own question.

There wasn't any point in regretting it. I had to stick with the mess I'd gotten myself into.

Sakura's POV

"Why…?"

I stared at the dagger clutched in my hands. The wooden sheath's craftwork was amazing, but even so…I still couldn't bring myself to like it even a little. I couldn't bear to part with it, either.

The relationship was bitter, but it existed.

"Why does he know about it…?"

**Inner me: I bet that he saw it while we were knocked out from the alcohol. That's the only time he could've.**

_You're right,_ I agreed.

Anger flared up inside of my chest. He should've pretended not to have noticed it! What gave him the right to poke his damned nose into my business, anyways?!

_Damn him!_

I punched my wall. I heard something crack, and I didn't think it was the wall. But I ignored it anyways.

**Inner me: Just don't go.**

_I can't do that,_ I sighed.

**Inner me: Why?**

_Because he'll just keep on being damn stubborn and keep on asking me until I crack!_

**Inner me: Then what'll you do?**

_I'll go,_ I answered._ I'll go, but I won't tell him the truth. Not about my eye and dagger, at least. I don't think it'll hurt to tell him I have naturally pink hair._

**Inner me: That's probably the least believable one….**

_Well, let him believe what he likes. As long as I give him some sort of answer, he should be satisfied and leave me alone._

**Inner me: Us.**

_What?_

**Inner me: **_**Us**_**! You keep on saying 'me' but I'm you, so you should say 'us'!**

_Fine,_ I consented. _Us._

The next day was sunny, but clouds were still threatening to hide that damn big ball of joy. If it rained, then I would have an excuse not to go to the top of the school after school.

_Come on, clouds!_ I urged in my head as I walked to school. _Please! Please rain at the end of school! Please!_

**Alright…,** said a deep voice in my head. **I shall let the rain fall.**

_Cut it out,_ I said.

**What are you saying?** asked the voice, cracking indignantly in the middle. **How dare you disrespect me! I am God! No more rain for you!**

_And I'm a Fallen Angel,_ I retorted sarcastically. _I know it's you._

**Inner me: How did you know?**

_God doesn't exist, idiot,_ I answered.

**Inner me: How do you know he doesn't?**

_How do you know he does? _

**Inner me: Humph. You're so not cute.**

_I take that as a compliment._

I stopped in front of homeroom.

"Hey, Sakura!" a familiar voice behind me said. "What're you doing?"

I looked over my shoulder and saw Kiba walking towards me.

"Nothing," I told him. My voice was normal, giving nothing of what I was feeling away.

"I can see that," he said, laughing. "Why don't you go in?"

I hated admitting it, but what other explanation did I have?

"It's…kind of awkward."

"I know," he told me, nodding.

"You do?!" I was surprised. Had Naruto told him and the others?!

"Sure," Kiba replied. "You just rejected the guy, so it's bound to feel weird."

_Huh? _

**Inner me: Lee! **

_What?_

**Inner me: You've already forgot?! He's talking about Lee! Remember? Your friend?** **Has fuzzy eyebrows? The one who's heart you fucking **_**BROKE**_** yesterday?**

_Oh. _

**Inner me: Tart, you're slow.**

"Yeah," I said. "I guess so…."

"Don't worry, he's not in there yet," Kiba said. "It's only Naruto and Hinata." For some reason, Kiba scowled.

"What?"

"What do you mean, what?" he asked.

"You just scowled," I said. "Why?"

He sighed. "It's nothing."

I felt curious, but didn't push it. I was better than Naruto.

Wait…Naruto? Damn! If I went in now, it'd only be Naruto, Hinata-chan, Kiba and me. If Hinata-chan and Kiba had a chat (which was fairly possible considering they were childhood friends with each other and Shino), I'd be left alone with Naruto. And I didn't want to be left alone with Naruto.

And so, reluctantly, I started up a conversation with Kiba on one of his favorite subjects: dogs. Kiba's family was a group of famous dog breeders, whose decendants were always champions in all sorts of unimaginable dog competitions.

I made up my mind to avoid Naruto as much as possible, and managed to. What bothered me was that Naruto wasn't making as big an effort as normal to have a conversation with me.

Naruto's POV

I kept on thinking about what Sakura-chan's answers would be. But it was pretty much impossible to predict, and I also couldn't help but wonder if she'd even come. It's not like she'd signed a contract saying that she'd go, no matter what the cost.

I didn't really make an effort to talk to her, because it would just feel awkward.

Even though I knew that twenty-four hours hadn't suddenly doubled in worth, it felt like it. Why was the day moving so slowly today of all days?

_Well, whatever,_ I thought. _It'll happen. Definitely._

Sakura's POV

Lunch time arrived, and the end of the school day was coming closer and closer.

I went over everything that I'd planned to tell him, so that it would sound more natural when I said it. If I made everything up on the top of my head then, there was a good chance that it'd be obvious. Not that I was a horrible actress or anything, but you never know. Naruto might be one of those freaky people who know a made-up story when they hear one.

Sixth bell swooped down, and I watched the clock ticking away while I was supposed to be copying down notes on this and that chemical.

**Inner me: Damn clock! Damn time! Damn school! Damn town! Damn-**

_Cursing things won't do anything,_ I thought coolly. That's right. Blaming and bitterness won't make what's coming stop.

Why was she so nervous? Why did I have this horrible feeling of foreboding? We already had a plan, a good one. And the weather was promising, too. Everything was favoring _us_. But even so, why?

I refocused on the clock. Thirty minutes left.

I heard a distant roll of thunder.

Naruto's POV

The second hand on the clock never stopped moving, not even once. Ever since the first time I saw it, it's never stopped moving. But still, why was it taking so long to move?

And then even worse; when the clock read thirty minutes until the bell rang, I heard thunder outside.

Nice. Thanks a lot, Thor.

I shook my head. I couldn't be negative. I focused on positive thoughts.

Twenty minutes.

_Happy, happy! Ramen happy!_

"Naruto!" Kurenai-sensei snapped me to attention.

"Sorry, what?" I asked, feeling stupid.

There were a few laughs.

I looked at Sakura-chan, who was staring at the clock.

"I asked you what this chemical was, Naruto," Kurenai-sensei sighed. "Pay more attention."

Sakura's POV

Ten minutes.

**Inner me: Just ten minutes, and we'll be bluffing our asses of for Ramen-boy. **

_Will he tell the others?_ I wondered.

**Inner me: Well, it's better than telling him the truth. It's our privacy. He has no right to fucking butt in! Naruto should be grateful we're even bothering to give him an answer!**

_I wonder if we will…, _I thought, looking out the classroom window. The clouds outside were dark grey. Perfect weather, in my opinion.

**Inner me: I'm sure he'll find a dry place to interrogate us.**

Five minutes.

_You're right about that,_ I thought. _Naruto's too stubborn._

**Inner me: We're pretty damn stubborn, ourselves.**

_That's not always something to be proud of…, _I replied.

**Inner me: DAMN YOU, SAKURA!!!!**

_What?_

**Inner me: Here I am, trying to be positive-**

_If you say so…._

**Inner me: -and all you're doing is dragging the mood right back down to tart-fucking hell!**

_Well, sorry for not being a bright little ray of sunshine! Not that I'd ever want to be one._

Both of us completely forgot our argument the second the bell rang. It was time.

A/N: I redid this chapter, because I really didn't like the original. So, I hope this one is better.^^ Like always, this is the end of the chapter. Anyways, please review! XD


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Hey guys! XD Thanks for bothering to read, as always.^^ Anyways, for those of you who don't know, I replaced Chapter 15 with another version because I really just didn't like it. X[ So~ obviously, I made a new one. If you haven't read it, I suggest you do, because you might not get this chapter if you don't. Thanks again!^^

Oh, yeah. **WARNING!:** **This chapter contains mature (no, not lemony or limey or whatever) content. **

Listen to My Story

Chapter 16: Listen to My Story.

People are scary. When they're in a desperate situation, they turn into monsters.

Sakura's POV

The class got out of their seats. Naruto was the first out of the room, and I was the last. I looked out of the window. The lightening was close, now.

I wasn't afraid of lightening. I used to be, but that was a while ago. Now, it's different. But that doesn't mean I don't know it can be dangerous. And so, Naruto was more than likely not to go up to the top of the school, which would be one of the most dangerous places to be.

I got everything I needed out of my locker and shut it.

I found Hinata-chan at the exit, almost completely blocked from view by the rush of people on their way out of the building.

"Hinata-chan!" I called. She looked around, searching for the voice of the person who'd called her.

"Hinata-chan! Over here!" I raised my hand into the air so that she could se me. Her eyes found me, and she waved.

I made my way over to her, slipping through other people.

"What is it, Sakura-chan?" she asked.

I was surprised I could hear her above the noise the crowd of teenagers were making.

"Have you seen Naruto?" I asked. "Did he come out of here?"

She shook her head. "Why?" she asked. "Should I have? Is something wrong?" her face was concerned.

I smiled at her gentleness.

"Everything's okay," I assured her. She smiled.

I decided to stay there and until I saw Naruto.

**Inner me: Why are you looking for him?! You should be glad you have a chance to escape.**

_If I don't see him…,_ I thought grimly._ Then, that idiot is up at the top of the school waiting for me._

**Inner me: No way! He's not that stupid. **

_No,_ I agreed. _He's just stubborn._

I must have stood there for at least half an hour, searching fruitlessly for Ramen-boy. What was taking him?

The crowd shrunk, and soon there were only a few people walking out. None of them were blond-headed, blue-eyed, hyperactive idiots.

_No way…._

I moved my feet.

Left, right, left, right….

I looked for him. But I still couldn't find him anywhere on the first floor.

My uniform was beginning to feel hot.

Left, right, left, right….

I searched upstairs on the second floor. I saw teachers, and a few students here and there, but no Naruto.

Right, left, right, left….

I peeked out windows. Nothing.

I went to the stairs that led to the top of the building, an area off limits to the students. Naruto probably chose it for it's isolation from interruptions.

Right, left, right….

My feet came to a stop.

I was on the roof.

And so was…

"Naruto."

He noticed me, and grinned. "Sakura-chan. I've been waiting for you!"

It was pouring, and I was already drenched even though I'd just come outside.

**Inner me: Idiot….**

He ran over to me. "Sakura-chan, now we can-"

He stopped.

"Did you want to hear it that much?" I asked him.

Naruto's POV

"It's cold…," I said to myself.

I was standing alone on top of KHS's roof. The view was great! But, it could've been better. The rain had started pelting down not five minutes after I got out here.

Lightening flashed not too far from the school.

_I wonder if she's coming…,_ I thought.

I stared up at the sky.

"Naruto."

I looked around, to find Sakura-chan looking at me.

_She came!_ I grinned.

"Sakura-chan! I've been waiting for you! Now we can-"

But I fell silent at the tortured expression on her face.

"Did you want to hear it that much?" she asked.

I was startled. "Of course, I mean it's not that big of a-"

"_IDIOT_!" she screamed. "Naruto, you idiot!"

Why was she so angry? Were those questions _that _much of a soft spot for her?

Sakura's POV

"Couldn't you have just gone home and waited for another time?" I asked him.

He looked surprised. "But, I said I'd be waiting, so I couldn't leave."

He said it so simply, you'd almost think that it was the rational thing to do.

I rolled my eyes and cleared my expression to it's mask-like state.

**Inner me: Sakura? Sakura, don't tell me you're actually going to-**

_I owe him that much,_ I replied.

**Inner me: But…but it's his **_**fault**_**! **_**He's**_** the one who said he'd come up here to hear about our past! Our privacy, something he has no right to know! **

_I know, but…_

**Inner me: But?**

_But, Naruto's out here for _me_. He's bound to catch pneumonia because of me._

**Inner me: It's not because of you, Sakura! It's because of**_** him!**_** Because of**_** Naruto! **_**He's here because he was too much of a busybody to keep his damn nose out of our business! **

I could hear the desperation in her voice, the plea that I didn't tell Naruto my darkest secrets.

But the fact that he stood outside, in the pouring rain for me somehow proved to me that he was serious about this. That he truly felt like he needed to hear it.

It doesn't seem like that much, but somehow, it was.

"Naruto," I said slowly. "Listen to my story."

_I was born in a city far away from Konoha, one called Sunagakure. Suna (short for Sunagakure) was a big, crowded city. It had a huge population. In fact, it was in the top three biggest cities in the world. I had a lot of friends there, like Gaara and his siblings, Temari and Kankuro. _

_When I was seven, my entire world changed. I met Sasuke Uchiha for the first time because our moms were best friends._

_We…(there was no other way to put it) hated each other, resulting in an instant rivalry._

_Sasuke-kun and I were put together to play a lot anyways, since my mom and Mrs. Uchiha visited each other all the time after their little reunion._

_Always being stuck together, we eventually ended up friends. Best friends. Inseparable. He knew me better than anyone else, and…I _think_ I knew him better than anyone else. But with his personality, I was never sure. (but we were still rivals, so there was a _lot_ of competing)_

_Sasuke-kun was the closest thing to perfect I'd ever come across. He was a _major_ pretty-boy, good *cough-perfect-cough* at anything he did (which was often the focus of my jealousy and irritation), and he was popular. _SO FUCKING POPULAR! 

_Females of all ages__were always all over him (also a source of my jealousy and irritation (although it wasn't caused by him)). Girls our age, girls younger than us, teenagers, middle-aged women, and old ladies adored him at every damn perfect angle. _

_But I knew things about Sasuke-kun other people didn't. Like his bitter-sweet relationship with his older brother, Itachi. Itachi was like a grown up version of him, good-looking, popular, talented…. Anyone who saw them together would know immediately how much Sasuke-kun admired him. _

_But what they didn't know was how much he also hated him. One hundred percent (not including me) of the people who knew both of them saw Sasuke-kun as the 'Itachi's little brother'. If he did something amazing, they'd just say, "As expected of Itachi Uchiha's kid brother." And that angered the hell out of him._

_Anyways, Sasuke-kun's personality was…complicated. He never really let on to what he was thinking, although I knew more of what went on in his head than anyone but Itachi (probably). _

_His eyes, though mesmerizing, were cold. Always cold. He had a hard time getting attached to people, always keeping his distance. Sasuke-kun had his own world. And no one was aloud to enter it._

_I think that maybe, just maybe, he'd considered letting me in. But that was probably just hope. At least I could truly believe he considered me important._

_We were always challenging each other to all sorts of contests. Eating, burping, marshmallow-stick fighting, racing, breath-holding, video games, bubble gum bubbles, you name it. I never won, but I liked having a goal. _

_We went to school together, and we aged together._

_And somehow…I ended up falling for this cold, competitive pretty-boy._

_Then…one day, eight months ago…that incident happened. Something I will never forget, no matter how much I try._

_I was walking on the street, carrying a bag. _

Sasuke-kun…,_ I thought. _I wonder if he'll like it. 

_His birthday was just a few weeks away. The bag contained his birthday present._

Oh, well,_ I thought cheerfully. _If he doesn't like it, I'll take it!

_Suna is a big city. One of the biggest in the world. Because of this, there are many kinds of people…._

"_Hey, Pain!" I heard a guy's voice calling. "Look at this one, un!"_

_I looked around. I was the only 'one' there. The other 'ones' were in the direction the voice was calling from. The speaker had been a teenage guy with blond hair stuck into a ponytail._

_I walked faster._

"_Hey," said the person I guessed was this Pain. "Look at her…she looks like a virgin to me. How old do you guys think? Middle school? High school?"_

They're talking about my virginity?!_ (which, for your information, I was) I thought._

_I was scared. These guys must've been the Akatsuki I'd heard about. The Akatsuki were a gang famous around this part of Suna; a group of teens that were wanted for robberies, mugging, rape, and murder. They were dangerous. _

_My heart was pounding in my chest. I bolted. _

"_Hey, chick!" I heard one of them call. "Come back over here!"_

Like heck I will! _I thought, dashing around a corner._

_I bumped into someone and tried to run around them, but-_

"_Where are you going?" purred the man. He'd grabbed my arm, and was now grabbing my other._

_I kicked and head butted, but he just laughed._

"_Over here!" he called._

"_You got her, Sasori?" asked the blond. _

"_No. She's just standing in front of me for no reason. What do you think?" answered Sasori._

_I screamed. _

_No one came running to my rescue. No God helped me out when the perverts stripped me, laughing as I cried endlessly, and robbed me of something I hadn't planned on losing for a while._

_But then…_

"_Sakura!"_

_My heart skipped a beat. I _knew_ that voice. And I knew the person it belonged to. But from the sound of it he was alone. And these guys weren't. Not only that, but they had guns and knives. _

"_Get out of here, Sasuke-kun!" I shouted. "They'll hurt you! Get out!"_

_Sasuke-kun had to get away. He had to. What would I do if he got hurt? How was I supposed to live with myself?_

_I begged to someone, anyone who was listening that they would give him the will to get the hell away from here._

_But once again, I got what I hadn't wanted._

"_You bastards!" I heard Sasuke-kun yell._

_He came into view as he tackled that bastard leader, Pain. The gang left my side to join in. _

_I got up, and crumpled to the ground again. It hurt!_

_But I got right back up. Even Sasuke-kun couldn't win against them. _

_I jumped into the fighting, with only my bra on, and punched some random person in the back of his neck. He whirled around, and was about to retaliate when Sasuke-kun came to my aid and knocked him out with one hit. _

_I launched my elbow into another guys face, and he crumpled to the ground in pain. Another two guys gave me a kick in the back of my leg and a punch on my face. I fell down, but struggled up again. _

_I was hurting all over…but I couldn't give up. Not yet. _

_Sasuke-kun took out another two guys with his bare hands. Then, someone plunged a dagger into my eye._

_I fell down, screaming and gasping. In movies and shows, things like this look like nothing. But they aren't nothing. They're pure agony. Worse than whatever you can think of. _

"_Sakura!" Sasuke-kun said. "YOU!" _

_I heard a cracking of bone, and my injurer collapsed._

"_Are you alright, Saku-"_

_But he didn't finish his sentence. I heard a gunshot. _

No….

_I raised my bleeding head, fighting against the pain. _

No…!

_I started crying again._

Sasuke-kun….

_His blue shirt was wet, blossoming blood. A bullet hole could be seen right in the middle of his shirt._

Sasuke-kun….

_Tears were flooding down, mixing with the blood. _

"_SASUKE-KUN!!!!!" I shrieked. _

_It was like one of those ones in the movies that makes you feel kind of embarrassed for whoever did it. But I didn't have any room left to feel embarrassed. _

_I hugged him, my body racketing with sobs. _

_The Akatsuki started kicking me, but I didn't let go._

"_Don't cry, dobe…," I heard his deep, beautiful voice say._

"_But you're bleeding!" I cried._

_No response. I unwrapped myself from him, and lay my ear next to his heart. _

_There was no thump-thump. Nothing._

_I looked into his empty, onyx eyes for the last time before laying my hand over them and closing them._

_I stopped crying. Because Sasuke-kun had told me not to._

_Rage. Grief. Frustration. Guilt. Love. Hate. All of it boiled up inside of me, and finally reached the brim._

People are scary.

"_YOU BASTARDS!" I roared. I grabbed the dagger out of my eye, and held it firmly in my hands._

"_Heh. Like we-" _

_Pain fell to the ground._

"_Bitch!" shrieked a fishy dude. "What did you-"_

_With a thud, fish boy joined his leader._

When they're in a desperate situation…

"_Damn you!" _

_Deidara's face turned to shock, and he dropped like a stone._

_I laughed. Blood. These bastard's dirty blood. _

_More…_

They turn into monsters.

_Make them hurt more…._

_That day, the police arrived at a crime scene where every member of the notorious Akatsuki gang was killed. Sakura Haruno was found with one eye blinded, holding a dagger. She confessed to murdering them, and was not charged with murder, owing to the fact that the situation called for self-defense. _

_She was raped, physically assaulted, and is now blind in one eye as a result of a dagger being stabbed into it._

_Sasuke Uchiha's body was found, dead. The cause of death was one bullet in his right lung._

_That was the day the world ended for me. I wore an eye patch over what was left of my eye, and kept the dagger that had blinded me. The same one that I'd used to kill every single one of the Akatsuki. _

_My mom moved us to Konoha six months after it had happened in order to try and help me 'be happier'. _

_I am not happy._

_And ever since that day, I've listened to Sasuke-kun's last wish. I have never cried once afterwards._

A/N: That's the end of Chapter 16. It's kind of long…sorry.^^' Please review.


	17. Chapter 17

Listen to My Story

Chapter 17: Weird and Not Normal!

Sakura's POV

I finished. We were both silent, standing in the pouring rain and getting drenched.

It was out. Everything that I'd been working to keep out of my thoughts and the thoughts of others was out. In truth, this was the first time I told someone the whole story. I'd told the police and my mom the gist of what had happened, but I'd never gone into details. Just enough to keep them satisfied.

But this time was different. I'd let it all pour out of my mouth and into Naruto's brain.

What was next?

Naruto's POV

It was quiet. But somehow, I was glad for it. What was I supposed to say? How was I supposed to react to all of this…this _unexpected_ information?

I never thought that when I was asking Sakura-chan about those things that they'd be so…dark. So painful.

And she's never cried _once_ since then? That was unbelievable. Inhuman. Keeping all of that stored inside of her, I wouldn't be surprised if she exploded right now.

Well, I'm sure she at least felt relieved, telling someone about it. I'd felt relieved when I told her about Jiraiya. And he'd only died peacefully in his sleep. He hadn't been _murdered. _

_Murdered…._

Sakura-chan had killed people. A lot of people, all by herself. With the same dagger that had blinded her eye. The same one that was under her_ bed_, I realized. My heartbeat sped up as I thought about it.

They'd killed her best friend, her rival…, the guy she _liked._ That Sasuke guy had been the world to her. I swallowed hard when I thought about it.

And I came back to the crying thing. How was that possible?!

"Naruto…," Sakura-chan broke the silence. Her voice was low, and it was hard to hear through the pouring rain that was drenching us to the bone.

"Y-yeah?" It was hard to talk.

"It's okay," she said quietly. "If you run…it's okay. I won't stop you."

_Huh?_

"Why would I run, Sakura-chan?" I asked, none-plussed.

She looked at me, surprised as I was. "Because I'm a murderer. I _killed_ them."

_Yeah…well, there is that._

"I don't think you'd kill me," I said. And I believed it. She'd killed the guys who'd put an end to the person she cared about more than anything. I'd like to say something cool, like "Even though they killed him, you didn't have to sink to their level," but the truth was I probably would've done the same.

She stared at me. "What?"

_Damn,_ I thought. _It sounds so lame when you repeat something like that._

"I said I don't think you'd kill me," I repeated.

She shook her head. "I know. But…."

"But?"

"Aren't you afraid?"

"Hah?" I was startled by her question. "No," I answered after a while. Although, not entirely truthfully.

Sakura's POV

_He's not afraid? But I'm a murderer! I've killed people…._

**Inner me: I'm sure he is afraid.**

_Yeah,_ I agreed. _What kind of person wouldn't be?_

Inner me continued.

**Inner me: But…he probably feels less afraid than you think. **

_What? Why?_

**Inner me: Because that's just the kind of person he is. He's too damn nice for his own good. He probably feels more sorry for you than afraid.**

_I don't want to be pitied._

**Inner me: Don't tell me that, DAMMIT! I ALREADY TART-FUCKING KNOW THAT! It pisses me off, too, but you know what? The fact that he's not as afraid of you as he should be makes him-**

_An idiot,_ I finished for her.

**Inner me: No! It makes him **_**weird!**_** Weird, but special. It shows he's got a good heart, where normal people would be scramming.**

_I thought you didn't want me to tell him,_ I thought. _What makes you believe in him so much now?_

**Inner me: I thought that he'd be normal. Not **_**as**_** weird, not special. I thought he'd be running away, just like you did. But he isn't. That shows that he **_**is**_** weird. **

I thought about it, ignoring the therapist-ness of her words.

"Sakura-chan?"

I looked at Naruto, distracted.

"How could you have not cried?" he asked me.

"Because it was Sasuke-kun's last wish," I answered simply. That was all there was to it.

"I know, but _how_?" He sounded frustrated, as if he thought he wasn't getting through to me.

"Like I said, because-"

He shook his head. "I mean, normal people wouldn't have been able to go _that_ long without crying when they have _that much_ pain."

Why was everyone turning into a shrink? I never had any patience for them. Mom made me see one back in Suna, after that happened. But it just never worked. Shrinks weren't what I'd needed.

Then again, I didn't and still don't know just what it was that I'd needed.

"I guess that makes me not normal," I replied.

Naruto's POV 

I just stared at her. Sakura-chan definitely wasn't normal; anyone could tell that just by looking at her appearance. I ended up knowing all of this because I'd been nosy and asked her about the strange things about her. Now that I think about it, it was really tactless.

"I'm going home, now," Sakura-chan told me. She sneezed.

"I'll walk you home," I offered.

She nodded, and walked to the door leading inside the school.

We were quiet again, all the way to her house, each in our own thoughts.

Sakura's POV

When I got home, freezing and drenched, I was surprised to find mom's car parked in the normally empty space.

**Inner me: Heh? Someone's home early.**

We walked up to my porch.

"Got to get home," Naruto said awkwardly.

He turned to leave but I grabbed his arm.

He looked at me.

"What is it?" he asked.

_Yeah,_ I thought. What_ is it?_

My hand had shot out to keep him from leaving like a reflex.

_Was it you?_ I asked Inner me.

**Inner me: No. That was definitely you.**

_Eh? But-_

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, looking worried.

I felt blood pounding in my cheeks. "I-it's still raining," I said.

**Inner me: No duh.**

"You should come inside, or else you'll catch pneumonia."

He smiled. "Okay," he said. "Thanks."

_How could he still smile at me when he knows…everything?_

**Inner me: I told you, he's too nice for his own good.**

And so, we went inside.

Mom left to make us some hot chocolate after giving us blankets to wrap around ourselves, leaving Naruto and I in_ another _awkward silence.

After a while, Naruto started talking about ramen, and I just went with the flow.

Four hours later, the downpour finally stopped, and it was time for Naruto to say goodbye.

He stood in the doorway, and my mom had mysteriously disappeared, leaving us alone.

"Well, I'm leaving now," he said.

Somehow it felt like he was expecting something. But I just stood there, not knowing what.

"I'm_ going_ _home_," he said.

"I know," I said.

**Inner me: Just say bye already!**

_Oh, yeah._

"Bye," I said lamely.

**Inner me: ….**

Naruto smiled. "Bye," he repeated. And before I knew it, he'd swooped down and kissed my cheek, then shut the door behind him.

I blushed.

Naruto's POV

I shut the door behind me, grinning. My face felt a little hot.

_Hey, Sasuke,_ I thought, looking up at the sky.

_You liked her, didn't you? Sakura-chan didn't seem to realize it, though. _

A gentle breeze blew, making my hair blow around a bit.

_I'll take that as I yes, _I thought. _Sakura-chan really likes you. But maybe, someday…, do you think she'll like me?_

The 'gentle breeze' changed direction and knocked the wind out of me. (no pun intended)

_Well, maybe you'll change your mind sometime._

And with that, I walked home, clutching my stomach.

The End.

A/N: Don't worry, I'm gonna write an epilogue.^^

**Inner Sakura: Then why does it say 'The End', then? **_**HUH**_**?!**

I was getting to that! -.-' This is the end, in name, of the story.

**Inner Sakura: Oh…okay. **

Anyways~ Naruto accepted Sakura's dark past. He's such a great guy! XD Please-

**Inner Sakura: Not **_**THAT**_** again! You always say that at the end of **_**EVERY**_** CHAPTER! It's so **_**ANNOYING**_**! **

That's mean…. -.-

**Inner Sakura: At least try saying it a bit differently! Here, **_**I'll**_** do it this time. Watch and learn.**

Go for it.

**Inner Sakura: Listen, **_**ALL**_** of you readers who ****LOVE**** me! (I love you guys too, by the way) This _brat_-**

_Who's_ a brat, brat?!

**Inner Sakura: -really seems to want you guys to review. So, do me a favor and stop her from ALWAYS saying the SAME THING! I'm BEGGING YOU!!!!!!!!!!!! **

…Meanie. -.- Anyways~, this is the end of Chapter 17!^^ Please re-

**Inner Sakura: No! Stop right there! **

Sorry…^^'. Force of habit. Well, then, see you guys later. Thank you _SO_ MUCH for reading up until now! I love you guys! T^T See ya in the epilogue!^^


	18. Chapter 18

Listen to My Story

Epilogue

Walking cheerfully down the streets of Konoha was a tiny, nine year-old girl. It was spring time, her favorite season. The girl was too busy admiring all of the life around her that she didn't notice all of the pairs of eyes that were following her.

The people in the street were all surprised at her unusual hair color: pink, like a cherry blossom. What's more is that it was naturally pink, although none of them would've guessed it.

The little girl thought about why she was there in the first place; she was on her way to visit her Grandpa Naruto.

"Ai," her mom had said. "Why don't you visit Grandpa? He's been lonely ever since Mo- I mean, Grandma Sakura died."

"He's still lonely?" Ai had asked, surprised. "Even though Grandma died over twenty years ago?"

Ai had never gotten to meet her Grandma Sakura because she had died suddenly in a car crash. Her mom didn't talk about it that much, so she only knew a little about it.

Instead of talking about her mother's death, Ai's mom often talked about what Grandma Sakura was like when she was alive, even when Ai didn't ask: beautiful and kind, with a touch of sadness.

"Grandpa really loved Grandma," her mom had explained. "And he still loves her, even now."

And so, Ai did what she was told.

She stopped under a cherry blossom tree, enjoying the sight of all of the petals gliding down gently, like snow.

A snap of a twig behind her made her spin around.

Ai found herself staring at a boy about her age, with raven black hair and cold onyx eyes. Somehow, he seemed familiar…_very_ familiar. The boy was pushing a wheelchair, with an old man under a blanket on it. Probably his grandpa, she thought.

"Sasuke…-kun…?" The words had slipped out of her mouth before she could think about it.

After a moment of surprise, the boy shook his head as if to get rid of an annoying fly, and said, "My name's not Sasuke! It's _Yuusuke_, dobe!" He stuck his tongue out at her. "Come on, Grandpa. Let's go."

"Don't stick your tongue out at me, you Popsicle!" Ai shouted on impulse.

Yuusuke looked surprised. The old man chuckled.

**Hmph! What's he laughing at?! That damned Itachi…, **a voice in Ai's head said. But it wasn't her own thoughts.

Ai was shocked.

_Who are you?_ Ai asked the voice in her thoughts, feeling slightly afraid.

**Me? I'm you.**

The End.

A/N: This is the end of the Epilogue, of the story…THE _END_! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! (sorry, I just had to do it.^^') I _really_ hope that you guys liked this fanfic, and thank you for reading it all the way to the end!^^ Bye-bye!^^


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